BICE Allocated $67bn in Credit, with Dairy Taking 35%

Argentina’s Banco de Inversión y Comercio Exterior (BICE) extended 67 billion pesos in loans to 440 producers, according to information reported by La Gaceta. Dairy farming received 35% of the credit. The financing was part of the bank’s support for investment across agricultural and livestock activities.

In dairy farming, projects mainly covered automated milking robots, rotary milking systems, monitoring collars and sorting gates. These technologies are used to automate different tasks on farms. The reported investments therefore included both milking equipment and systems for monitoring and managing animals.

The number of automated milking machines operating in Argentina rose from 370 in 2023 to more than 550 at present. The source described that change as an increase of about 49%. The equipment formed part of the wider expansion in farm technology supported by the credit programme.

Argentina produced more than 11.6 billion litres of milk in 2025, the highest annual volume recorded in the past decade, according to the information cited in the report. The source linked the increase in production to greater use of technology together with weather conditions.

The bank’s Valor Producto credit line remains available. BICE is also considering extending the scheme to additional parts of the agro-industrial sector, although the report did not specify which sectors might be included or when any expansion would occur.

Outside dairy farming, cattle loans were used to purchase heifers, retain female calves and finance feed. In pig production, borrowers used the funds mainly for infrastructure and the modernisation of facilities. The scheme was also expanded to finance the acquisition of higher-quality genetics, supporting investments associated with production and export opportunities.