Argentina mining exports to jump 49% in 2026, executive says

Reuters | May 4, 2026 | 7:19 am Markets Latin America Copper Gold Silver

Bulk carrier entering the Port of Necochea in Argentina. Stock image.

Argentina’s mining exports are forecast to jump 49% in 2026, reaching $9 billion, Roberto Cacciola, president of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies said.

Cacciola said the estimate was conservative, adding that the value of the country’s mining exports could be more if current prices continue.

Argentina exported $6.056 billion in mining exports in 2025, which represented a 30% increase from the previous year.

Under President Javier Milei, Argentina launched the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), through which the country has managed to attract investments from mining giants like BHP and Rio Tinto.

Argentina’s economic rock star Milei attracts mining

According to the chamber, 13 projects – totalling $42 billion – have been submitted to RIGI, and seven of those have been approved so far for $7.9 billion. Argentina has moved from 12th to 7th place in the world ranking of exploration destinations, it said.

Lawmakers in April approved a government-backed reform that aims to promote mining investment in glacier regions, a step environmentalists and scientists have said would weaken protections and threaten water resources.

(By Lucila Sigal; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Brendan O’Boyle)