Argentina Natural Honey Export Market -- HS Code 040900 Trade Data & Price Trend (Jun 2025)

Argentina Natural Honey Export (HS 040900) Key Takeaways

Argentina's natural honey exports under HS code 040900 in June 2025 are dominated by bulk-grade honey, with 98% of shipments concentrated in a single sub-code, reflecting a commoditized market. Export values fell sharply to $22.22 million, continuing a downward trend linked to U.S. antidumping duties. The U.S. accounts for 64% of exports, creating high geographic risk, while premium European markets like Germany and Japan offer diversification potential. This analysis, covering June 2025, is based on cleanly processed customs data from the yTrade database.

Argentina Natural Honey Export (HS 040900) Background

What is HS Code 040900?

HS Code 040900 refers to Honey, natural, a globally traded commodity primarily used in food and beverage industries, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Its demand remains stable due to its natural sweetening properties and perceived health benefits. The product is a key agricultural export for several countries, including Argentina, where it holds significant trade value.

Current Context and Strategic Position

On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce published preliminary results of the antidumping duty (AD) administrative review for raw honey from Argentina, covering the 2022-2023 period [Federal Register]. This underscores the ongoing scrutiny of Argentina's natural honey exports in key markets. Argentina remains a major player in hs code 040900 trade data, leveraging its robust apiculture sector to meet global demand. Market vigilance is critical, as trade policies and competitive dynamics continue to shape export opportunities.

Argentina Natural Honey Export (HS 040900) Price Trend

Key Observations

Argentina's Natural Honey exports for June 2025 reached a total value of $22.22 million USD. This performance reflects a continued downward trend in export activity during the second quarter.

Price and Volume Dynamics

The Argentina Natural Honey Export trend showed significant volatility in the first half of 2025. After climbing to a quarterly high of $48.18 million USD in April, export values fell sharply in May and June. This two-month sequential decline aligns with the finalization of the U.S. antidumping duty review covering the 2021-2023 period [Federal Register], which likely created ongoing market uncertainty and disrupted typical trade flows. The hs code 040900 value trend suggests exporters faced headwinds from this trade policy, contributing to the subdued second-quarter performance.

Argentina Natural Honey Export (HS 040900) HS Code Breakdown

Product Specialization and Concentration

In June 2025, Argentina's export of natural honey under HS Code 040900 is overwhelmingly dominated by a single sub-code for natural honey, which captures nearly all the market share. According to yTrade data, the sub-code 04090000911 accounts for over 98% of both export value and quantity, indicating a highly specialized and concentrated market with no significant price anomalies to isolate.

Value-Chain Structure and Grade Analysis

The remaining sub-codes, such as 04090000999 and 04090000991, also describe natural honey and show similar unit prices around 2.2 USD per kilogram, suggesting a uniform product grade. This structure points to a trade in fungible bulk commodities, where exports are largely undifferentiated and likely tied to global commodity indices rather than value-added processing.

Strategic Implication and Pricing Power

For market players, the high concentration under Argentina's HS Code 040900 export implies limited pricing power due to the commodity nature, requiring a focus on cost efficiency and quality consistency. Analyzing HS Code 040900 trade data reveals that strategic efforts should prioritize maintaining competitive bulk supply chains to leverage Argentina's strong position in natural honey exports.

Check Detailed HS Code 040900 Breakdown

Argentina Natural Honey Export (HS 040900) Destination Countries

Geographic Concentration and Dominant Role

The United States is the dominant destination for Argentina's Natural Honey exports in June 2025, taking 63.81% of the total export value. This share is slightly higher than its 63.05% quantity share, indicating US buyers pay a small premium per kilogram. The high frequency of shipments (55.88% of all transactions) points to a steady, high-volume trade relationship for this commodity.

Destination Countries Clusters and Underlying Causes

Two clear clusters emerge from the trade data. The first is a High-Yield Cluster including Germany, Belgium, Japan, and Switzerland. These countries show value shares that are close to or exceed their quantity shares, signaling demand for higher-grade honey. The second is a Transactional Cluster comprising Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia. Their higher frequency shares, relative to their lower value contributions, suggest these are smaller, more frequent orders, typical for food product distribution.

Forward Strategy and Supply Chain Implications

The heavy reliance on the US market presents a significant supply chain risk. The recent finalization of an antidumping duty review on Argentine honey [Federal Register] underscores this vulnerability. A forward strategy must prioritize diversifying exports into the identified High-Yield Cluster in Europe to capture more stable, premium margins and reduce exposure to US trade policy shifts.

Table: Argentina Natural Honey (HS 040900) Top Destination Countries (Source: yTrade)

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Action Plan for Natural Honey Market Operation and Expansion

• Target high-yield European buyers like Germany and Japan using hs code 040900 trade data to identify premium-paying importers, as this diversifies the Argentina Natural Honey Export away from US dependency and captures higher margins.
• Monitor US buyer shipment frequency in the Natural Honey supply chain to anticipate demand shifts and avoid over-reliance on a single market, mitigating risk from potential trade policy changes.
• Maintain strict quality control and batch consistency for all Argentina Natural Honey Export shipments to protect its commodity-grade reputation and ensure compliance with premium market standards.
• Develop direct relationships with frequent buyers in the transactional cluster (e.g., Spain, Netherlands) to secure stable, smaller orders that provide cash flow stability within the overall Natural Honey supply chain.

Take Action Now —— Explore Argentina Natural Honey Export Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is driving the recent changes in Argentina Natural Honey Export 2025 June?

Argentina's Natural Honey exports declined sharply in June 2025, following a quarterly high in April. This drop aligns with the U.S. antidumping duty review, which created market uncertainty and disrupted trade flows.

Q2. Who are the main destination countries of Argentina Natural Honey (HS Code 040900) 2025 June?

The United States dominates, accounting for 63.81% of export value. Other key destinations include Germany, Belgium, Japan, and Switzerland, which form a High-Yield Cluster with premium demand.

Q3. Why does the unit price differ across destination countries of Argentina Natural Honey Export?

Prices are uniform (around 2.2 USD/kg) for bulk honey under sub-code 04090000911, which dominates exports. The High-Yield Cluster countries pay slightly higher premiums, reflecting demand for consistent quality.

Q4. What should exporters in Argentina focus on in the current Natural Honey export market?

Exporters must prioritize cost efficiency and quality consistency to compete in the bulk commodity market. Diversifying into Europe’s High-Yield Cluster can reduce reliance on the U.S. and capture premium margins.

Q5. What does this Argentina Natural Honey export pattern mean for buyers in partner countries?

U.S. buyers benefit from steady, high-volume supply but face policy risks. Buyers in the High-Yield Cluster gain access to reliable, undifferentiated honey, while Transactional Cluster buyers receive smaller, frequent shipments.

Q6. How is Natural Honey typically used in this trade flow?

Argentina’s honey exports are primarily undifferentiated bulk commodities, likely tied to global food product distribution or industrial use rather than value-added processing.