ABSTRACT
Argentina’s agricultural export base has been historically dominated by livestock and grains. However, in the last two decades it has become larger and more diverse, with the expansion of fruit and vegetables being an important component of these transformations. From 1990 to 1998, the export value of Argentina’s six largest fruit and vegetable sectors (apples, pears, oranges, lemons, grapes and dry beans) increased from US$305 million to US$671 million (FAO 2004). In this regard, the Argentinian experience is exemplary of that faced by many countries in the South; fresh fruit and vegetable exports to more affluent Northern countries have been an important and rapidly growing area of the international agri-food system over the past two decades.
