Argentina's banana import rule change sparks provincial conflict

Argentina's national government has ignited a significant conflict with the provinces of Salta and Jujuy by revoking three key phytosanitary resolutions that had governed banana imports for more than 30 years. The decision, enacted through Resolution 114/2026 by the Secretariat of Agriculture, has drawn sharp criticism from provincial authorities and banana producers who fear it undermines national agricultural health.

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the measure eliminates a historical sanitary barrier and increases the risk of diseases capable of affecting national production.

The government, led by Javier Milei, asserts that the revocation updates the import system to a more modern framework centered on risk analysis and oversight by the National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (Senasa). Officials argue that the old resolutions, some dating back to 1994, had become practically obsolete and were replaced by contemporary mechanisms for evaluation, traceability, and digitalization, aligning with international standards.

However, producers and provincial governments in Salta and Jujuy, the country's main banana-producing hubs, contend that the move eliminates a historic barrier. They warn that this exposes national production to a heightened risk of diseases capable of devastating crops. The revoked resolutions, including Resolution 99/1994, 823/2006, and 262/2013, were specifically established to preserve the phytosanitary status of the northwestern region and later extended protection to Formosa and Misiones before being concentrated on Salta and Jujuy.

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those norms had lost practical validity because they were replaced by more modern mechanisms for evaluation, traceability, digitalization and oversight.

While the Ministry of Agriculture maintains that controls remain in place through pest risk analysis and inspections by Senasa, the affected provinces view the deregulation as a dangerous step. The controversy highlights a clash between the national government's push for regulatory modernization and the provinces' focus on maintaining stringent biosecurity measures to protect their vital agricultural sectors.

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the phytosanitary controls are currently carried out through pest risk analysis, documentary and physical inspections, international certifications and harmonized procedures