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Searching for a producer, Argentine agro-exporters or black bean exporting company can be a bit tricky if you are not sure who to contact or have no experience in exporting grains.
But don’t worry! Here we can help you and advise you on the procedures, formalities and tariffs you should consider when exporting this type of product, as well as learn a little more about the planting, harvesting and price per ton of this legume. Read all our recommendations below!
Types of black beans that we commercialize
The beans that are marketed in Argentina for domestic consumption and for the whole world are black beans, a powerful legume that is closely linked to the meals of the Latin American region.
Black zaranda beans have a stronger flavor than pallares beans, for example, and also have a great nutritional and antioxidant value that make them highly valued in vegetarian or vegan meals. In Mexico and Brazil they are widely used and therefore they are the main importers from our country.
Technical specifications of black beans
We are going to detail the characteristics and technical specifications of this kind of black beans, a very important grain in the Argentine agribusiness:
Its scientific name is “Phaseolus vulgaris L.” and origin, Argentina. Regarding its size, using a sieving sieve as a parameter and expressed in millimeters, its calibers are:
- 3.25 mm.
- 3.5 mm.
- 4 mm.
Regarding the quality specifications, the black beans sieve has:
- Humidity: 15.00% Max.
- Foreign matter and/or inedible: 0.25% Max. (It is understood by mineral or organic matter as dust, twigs, teguments, seeds of other species, dead insects, fragments or remains of insects and other types of impurities that have their vegetable origin and by grains that cannot be eaten to grains with mold, grains already chopped or gnawed, that can be sprouted and even green.
- Total defects: 3.00% Max. (This percentage includes grains with damaged skin, grains of a different color, wrinkled and stained grains).
- Broken and/or broken grains: 1.00% Max.
Storage and preservation conditions: As for the care of this product, it is important to keep it in a cool, dry place and not exposed to light in order to preserve its quality.
It is important to highlight that this product is not GMO (genetically modified organism).
Regarding packaging, 25 kg, 50 kg, Big bag and bulk polypropylene bags are used for conservation and preservation.
The shelf life of zaranda black beans is two years from the date of processing.
Regarding labeling, it is important to mention that a label is placed on each bag indicating the name of the product, the net weight of the bag, the contract number of the transaction, the date of production of this bean and the expiration date, the registered data of the seller and the buyer respectively.
Finally, the lots are identified as follows: the codes “A 01 1683 PT 00” are used, where: “A” is the Year of entry to the plant; “01” Processing establishment; “1683” Raw material receipt lot; “PT” state of the raw material; “1683” state of the raw material; “1683” state of the raw material receipt; “1683” state of the raw material; and “1683” state of the raw material.
Raw material; “PT” state of processing in which the product is found; “00” heading.
Main destinations to which black beans are exported to
This legume, one of the most used at regional level in gastronomy, is the black zaranda bean, which is exported to different Latin American countries, which we detail below:
Panama
Central America is undoubtedly one of the regions with the highest consumption of this type of legume due to the customs, culture and benefits of black beans. Panama is a great consumer of local production, followed by Mexico and Brazil.
Mexico
Mexico, together with Brazil, is one of the countries that uses this legume produced in our country in many of its dishes and its consumption is deeply rooted in the culture. Mexicans eat black beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, making Mexico a major importer of this valuable legume.
Brazil
Brazil is one of the main countries that receives production from Argentina for its dishes, which include a large quantity of black beans in their menus, and for this reason, among others, it is another of the areas with the highest demand.
Venezuela
This country, together with those mentioned above, is one of the places that import Argentine black beans as a product of quality and convenient price, and the proximity that reduces the operating costs of transfer, of course.
China
This country has been importing for years this kind of products, the basis of oriental food, and it also acquires bean flour for its hundreds of ancestral recipes.
Main black bean exporting provinces
Especially the north and center of Argentina are the provinces where the production and export of black beans is concentrated. Here we tell you a little more about each region:
Salta
The Argentine province of Salta in particular has more than 75% of the plants that process black beans and are equipped with electronic sorters for subsequent export. It is the most important bean exporting province.
Jujuy
Jujuy is next in the list of exporters in Argentina: there are more than 50 plants equipped with electronic sorters for processing white and black beans, ready for export to the world.
Tucumán
This northern province is also one of those that export black beans abroad. The processing plants located in this province can be classified according to their processing capacity, which goes hand in hand with the extension of the plantation: large, medium and small, taking into consideration the processing capacity. It is important to highlight that “small” plants have up to 6 processing units, “medium” plants have 7 to 24 units and “large” plants have more than 24 units.
Buenos Aires
Although the north of Argentina is the main export region, Buenos Aires also produces for exporting black beans abroad, due to the environmental conditions of the province and its large processing plants for the proper treatment of the product (more than 24 units within the processing plants of these grains).
Production and harvesting period
The industrial production of beans in Argentina is carried out in the “NOA” region (i.e. the North West of Argentina), which mainly covers the Salta basin, where the Departments of Orán, Anta, La Candelaria, Güemes, General San Martín and Rosario de la Frontera, among other regions, are identified.
Regarding the order of importance in terms of production and volume, the Province of Santiago del Estero is next in the ranking. The Santiago del Estero departments of Pellegrini, Jiménez, Moreno, Belgrano and Taboada, among others, are important.
In the Province of Jujuy, on the other hand, the Departments of San Pedro, Santa Bárbara, El Carmen and San Antonio predominate in terms of production volume. It is followed by the northern province of Tucumán, where the Departments of Tranca, Cruz Alta, La Cocha, Leales and Graneros are the star production regions.
Production is also centered in the NOA (Northwestern Argentina), which has ideal climatic conditions and elements related to agriculture for its development. It includes the provinces of Salta, which is the main producer of black beans, with 77% of the area used for this type of crop, as well as Santiago del Estero (13%), Jujuy (6%), Tucumán (3%) and the rest of the production areas (0.6%).
Sowing and harvesting
This is a short-cycle crop, ranging from 90 to 110 days total. The sowing date of black beans depends on various environmental factors, such as temperature and rainfall.
Generally, if the conditions are the required and optimal, it is sown in the months of January and February with more heat and humidity and harvested in the months of May and June, approaching the Argentine cold.
Approximate price per ton of black beans
This year, a ton of black beans is traded at a final value of US$930 (FOB price), as stated by the Foreign Trade Information Center (Central de Información de Comercio Exterior).
Basic guide to the requirements for exporting black beans from Argentina
Below we are going to detail all the information, requirements and export procedures you need to know in order to start marketing your products to the world in a simple, organized and effective way.
Keep in mind that you often need the advice of a professional related to foreign trade or customs to be able to carry out this transaction successfully and not fail in the attempt. We can help you! Contact us and we will guide you without obligation.
Tariff
Here are the tariffs you should know if you want to export black beans from Argentina to the world:
Export: consider the different aspects:
- Tariff treatment: Export duty: 0% and Refund: 1.75%.
- Special treatments: Additional Refund: 0.5%.
- Agreements: Egypt – Mercosur: Negotiated merchandise. Export (which is in force as of 01/09/2017) and Israel – MERCOSUR: Negotiated merchandise.
- SGP – Generalized System of Preferences: United States of America
- DJVE: Agricultural Products – Affidavit of Sales Abroad.
Requirements
Exporters wishing to export black beans, which are included in Annex I of Resolution 152/2020, must complete and enter the Sworn Statement of Sale Abroad (DJVE), making it official in the Malvina Computer System (SIM) of the Public Revenue Tax Administration, through the application “KIT MARÍA”.
This Affidavit must be made official in the SIM until 11:00 a.m. of the business day following the closing of the sale, in order to proceed with its registration.
Export duties
The export duty in the case of black beans is 0%: the export duty rates for very specific tariff positions of the Mercosur Common Nomenclature (N.C.M.) that are part of the agri-food chain are modified on a temporary basis.
Refund
Export refunds for this type of pulses will be made by electronic bank transfer to the CBU of an authorized account of the exporter in a bank authorized by the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA). The refund rate is calculated on the FOB value of the goods being exported. In this case the refund will be 1.75%.
Tax registry of grain operators
In the following database you will be able to find a public registry of Grain Operators to be downloaded. You should click on this link to access the complete and updated file.
Conclusion
If you would like to get free advice on how to contact producers or suppliers of black beans, we are here to help you! Just access this link, leave us your data and an advisor will provide you with all the necessary information about the commercialization of this variety of black beans from Argentina.