Argentine Beekeepers' Magazine

(Espacio Apícola, October 8th, 2022) Starting this October, when the honey harvests end in the northern hemisphere, a new cycle begins in the honey market based on the different variables: harvest volume available, cost of money, global market perspective. This date is eagerly awaited by most Argentine exporters who have seen operations slow down due to anti-dumping sanctions in the United States and the enormous increase in freight rates in the last year.

According to the USDA Honey Report of September 2021, the average price of honey paid to Argentine honeys between January and August 2021 was US$ 3434 per ton. That price is the average of all the sales of the four categories (according to colour) US$ 105,107,442 and the 30,604,765 kg purchased.

The USDA Honey Report of September 2022 shows an increase of US$291 per ton compared to the previous year. In the January-August period, they bought 27,464,174 kg for a total value of US$ 102,316,551, which yields an average of US$ 3,725 per ton of honey. In total, they were about 3,000 tons less than those shipped in the same period last year.

In the local market the Argentine economy has a cost increase in dollars then this improvement and part of the previous price were absorbed by the marketing chain producing a drop in the price of honey paid to the producer in relative terms. Honey prices paid to US producers have held firm with an increase from August 2021 to August 2022 of about 16% for white clover honeys, a typical honey from the Dakotas' prairie, as well as for the multifloral honeys of Extra Light Amber colour (ELA). On the other hand, the prices paid to US importers for Argentine honey of the same qualities, from August 2021 to August 2022, increased from 24% to 28% respectively, clearly noticing the impact of the cost of freight. These went from US$ 99 per ton in average for the mentioned period of 2021 to US$ 268 for the same period of 2022.

Although we do not have yet the evolution of prices during September in the United States, before the Apimondia Congress during August, it was already commented that honey would drop in price in the United States. Currently Argentine exporters are receiving a top price of $3,500/Tn as an average for the three main categories of honey to be exported to the USA. For its part, Europe is not buying Argentine honeys and there is no price for dark honey.

The SIAL Paris food industry exhibition will be held on the fairground near the Charles de Gaulle international airport in the French capital next weekend October 15 to 19th. The only Argentine honey packer with its own independent booth is "Argenmieles", the honey brand of Grúas San Blas group, which regularly visits its European clients in the person of Mr Lucas Andersen. We don't know if there is some other honey exporter in one of the Argentine pavilions, CFI or Fundación ExportAr. Some honey exporters in bulk will also stop at SIAL during their broader tour that includes a visit to their clients in Spain, Germany or other countries, as in the case of Ms Angie D'Ambros from the Danangie company.