The province of Santa Cruz held an institutional agenda with Canadian representatives at a time when Argentina’s mining exports reached US$6.037 billion in 2025, marking a 29.2% year-on-year increase, according to official data. In Santa Cruz, mining accounted for 86.2% of total provincial exports.
By Panorama Minero
Santa Cruz’s Minister of Energy and Mining, Jaime Álvarez, together with Fernando Baños, president of FOMICRUZ S.E., met at Government House with Canada’s ambassador to Argentina, Stewart Wheeler. The meeting was part of an agenda related to mining activity and engagement with Canadian market stakeholders.
Mining Exports at Recent Highs
According to the latest report from Argentina’s Secretariat of Mining, the sector exported US$594 million in December, up 10.6% compared to the same month of the previous year. On a cumulative basis, annual mining exports totaled US$6.037 billion, reflecting a 29.2% year-on-year increase.
Five provinces, Santa Cruz, San Juan, Jujuy, Catamarca and Salta, accounted for 98.7% of mining exports in December and 98.4% of total annual exports.
Santa Cruz Within the Export Structure
In December, mining represented 94.2% of Santa Cruz’s total exports. From January to December, the sector accounted for 86.2% of provincial external sales.
Santa Cruz’s export structure is primarily concentrated in precious metals, positioning the province among Argentina’s leading foreign currency-generating mining districts.
Canada and Access to Capital Markets
As part of its international agenda, provincial officials met with executives from the Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX, where mining assets and the province’s institutional framework were presented.
Canada hosts a significant share of junior and major mining companies and remains one of the world’s main financing hubs for exploration and development projects.
The province also plans to participate in the annual convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, PDAC, to be held from March 1 to 4 in Toronto.
International Capital and Project Pipeline
The relationship with Canada unfolds in a context where Argentina’s mining sector reached its highest nominal export level, a trade agreement with the United States was formalized, and major economies intensified efforts to secure critical and strategic minerals from a geopolitical perspective. The environment reflects stronger competition for resources, supply chain reconfiguration and the repositioning of producing countries within global markets.
In Santa Cruz, where more than 86% of exports depend on mining, access to international financing and visibility in markets such as Toronto directly influence the progression of exploration and production projects. The provincial pipeline is largely focused on gold and silver, metals currently trading at elevated price levels amid financial volatility, pressure on the U.S. dollar, the expansion of mineral-intensive technologies and shifting global alliances.
Within this framework, engagement with Canadian institutional and financial stakeholders forms part of the province’s strategy to position its mining assets in one of the world’s leading capital markets for exploration and development. The Great White North, widely recognized for channeling financing into early-stage and producing projects, is also the fifth-largest destination for Argentina’s mineral exports, ranking behind Switzerland, the United States, China and India.
