The U.S.-China trade war has had unexpected repercussions in Argentina, where the country’s soy crushing industry is facing significant challenges despite record-high soybean exports. According to recent reports, Argentina’s soybean sales to China have surged to a six-year high, driven by Beijing’s search for alternatives to U.S. soybeans. However, this export boom has led to a shortage of raw beans for local processors, causing idle capacity in crushing facilities to rise to 31% in July, with further increases since then. Gustavo Idigoras, president of the CIARA-CEC grain exporters and processors chamber, expressed concern over the situation, stating that the trade war has harmed Argentina by reducing jobs and export value. He also noted that the surplus of soybeans in the U.S. has intensified competition for Argentine soymeal in Southeast Asia. While exports of unprocessed soybeans from the 2024/25 harvest have reached 8.81 million metric tons, nearly double the previous season, the future of Argentina’s soybean exports remains uncertain, hinging on the outcome of U.S.-China trade negotiations. All eyes are on November, when the current trade waiver between the two nations expires.