Argentina–India relations
Bilateral relations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bilateral relations between the Argentine Republic and the Republic of India, have existed for decades. Both countries are members of G20, Group of 24 and Group of 77.
| |
 Argentina |
 India |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Argentina, New Delhi | Embassy of India, Buenos Aires |
| Envoy | |
| Argentine Ambassador to India Mariano Caucino | Indian Ambassador to Argentina Ajaneesh Kumar |
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History
Rabindranath Tagore visited Argentina in 1924. He stayed there for two months as the guest of Victoria Ocampo. Tagore wrote a series of poems under the title "Purabi" about his stay in Argentina.[1] Victoria Ocampo was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Viswa Bharati University in 1968.[2]
India opened a Trade Commission in Buenos Aires in 1943. This was converted into an embassy on 3 February 1949. Argentina had established a consulate in Calcutta in the 1920s. In 1950, it was transferred to Delhi as an embassy. Argentina opened a Consulate General in Mumbai in April 2009.[2]
High-level visits
High-level visits from Argentina to India
- President Arturo Frondizi (1961)
- President Reynaldo Bignone (1983)
- President Raúl Alfonsín (1985)
- President Carlos Menem (1994)
- President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2009)[2]
- President Mauricio Macri (2019)
- President Alberto Fernández (2023)
High-level visits from India to Argentina
- Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1968)[3][4]
- President Zail Singh (1984)
- Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao (1995)[2]
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2018, 2025)[5]
Economic relations
Several India companies such as TCS, Wipro, CRISIL, Bajaj, Cellent, United Phosphorus Ltd (UPL), Synthesis Quimica, Glenmar and Godrej operate in Argentina. They employ 7000 Argentines as of 2013. ONGC signed a MoU with ENARSA for possible joint ventures in Argentina for oil exploration.[2]
Argentine companies operating in India include IMPSA, Biosidus and BAGO.[2]
Indian investment in the country totaled $930 million in 2013. Argentine investment in India totalled $120 million in 2013.[2]Bilateral trade between India and Argentina grew from 2019 to 2022, reaching USD 6.4 billion in 2022. During this period, trade maintained a net surplus in favor of Argentina, with India ranking among the top five export destinations for Argentine goods. [6]In 2024, Indian investment in the third quarter was US$613 million.
Trade
A preferential trade agreement between India and Mercosur (of which Argentina is a member) came into operation in 2009.[7]
Bilateral trade
Bilateral trade between India and Argentina reached US$6.4 billion in 2022. In both 2021 and 2022, India emerged as Argentina's fourth-largest trading partner, with Argentina playing a vital role in supplying edible oils—especially soybean oil—to the Indian market. In 2023, bilateral trade was significantly impacted by Argentina's severe drought and a foreign exchange crisis, resulting in a sharp 39% decline, with total trade falling to US$3.9 billion.[8]
Exports
Specific trading data for the most recent available dates:[9][AI-retrieved source][10]
Argentina Exports to India
| Commodity | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Animal, vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products | $3.26B | 2024 |
| Commodities not specified according to kind | $469.73M | 2024 |
| Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins | $129.84M | 2024 |
| Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather | $34.34M | 2024 |
| Organic chemicals | $14.69M | 2024 |
| Miscellaneous chemical products | $10.15M | 2024 |
| Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal | $8.41M | 2024 |
| Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers | $4.02M | 2024 |
| Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivatives, pigments | $1.68M | 2024 |
| Optical, photo, technical, medical apparatus | $1.47M | 2024 |
| Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers | $1.46M | 2024 |
| Coffee, tea, mate and spices | $594.33K | 2024 |
| Edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons | $426.68K | 2024 |
| Electrical, electronic equipment | $357.55K | 2024 |
| Wool, animal hair, horsehair yarn and fabric | $317.73K | 2024 |
| Rubbers | $209.85K | 2024 |
| Pharmaceutical products | $115.14K | 2024 |
| Soaps, lubricants, waxes, candles, modelling pastes | $105.88K | 2024 |
| Articles of iron or steel | $80.23K | 2024 |
| Plastics | $75.78K | 2024 |
| Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products | $20.12M | 2023 |
| Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotope | $13.49M | 2023 |
| Vehicles other than railway, tramway | $3.27M | 2023 |
| Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatics invertebrates | $2.23M | 2023 |
| Albuminoids, modified starches, glues, enzymes | $1.04M | 2023 |
| Vegetable, fruit, nut food preparations | $640.52K | 2023 |
| Residues, wastes of food industry, animal fodder | $596.90K | 2023 |
| Beverages, spirits and vinegar | $334.19K | 2023 |
| Cereals | $240.10K | 2023 |
| Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruits | $226.33K | 2023 |
| Essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toileteries | $129.14K | 2023 |
| Tools, implements, cutlery of base metal | $24.19K | 2023 |
| Printed books, newspapers, pictures | $1.09K | 2023 |
| Copper | $561 | 2023 |
| Salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plaster, lime and cement | $298.77K | 2021 |
| Iron and steel | $643.02K | 2019 |
| Paper and paperboard, articles of pulp, paper and board | $72.05K | 2019 |
In January 2025, Argentina's YPF signed a memorandum with ONGC Videsh, GAIL, and OIL to export liquefied natural gas and collaborate on hydrocarbon exploration. In July of that year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s on a visit to President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires widened ties in defense, space, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, while both sides strengthened institutional engagement through the Joint Working Group on Agriculture and discussions on expanding the MERCOSUR trade agreement.[11][12][13]
Science and education
In January 2007, ISRO launched Pehuensat-1, an Argentine nano-satellite on board PSLV.[14] India and Argentina are both members of the Antarctic Treaty. An MoU for Antarctic co-operation was signed by the two countries in 1998 and renewed in 2006.[2]
India provides five ITEC scholarships to Argentine candidates annually. Argentine diplomats have attended the courses at the Foreign Service Training Institute of India. The University of Buenos Aires conducts postgraduate courses in Ayurveda in collaboration with the Gujarat Ayurveda University. The Jawaharlal Nehru University signed an MoU for cooperation with San Luis University of Argentina.[2]
Cultural relations
Sports
The Indian Football Academy collaborated with Argentine football club River Plate for training and exchanges. Argentine football legend Diego Maradona visited India in October 2009. Several Argentine players play in the Indian Super League.[2]
There is a huge fan following for Argentina's national football team in Indian states of Kerala and West Bengal.[15][16]
The Don Torcuato based sports club Hindú Club traces its origin to Indian laborers, mainly from Bihar and Bengal, who were brought to South America for rubber plantation. Those immigrant workers were fundamental in founding the club in 1895.
Areas of Untapped Potential
Argentina and India both have established domestic film industries with substantial and diverse audiences. However, Argentine films generally reach Indian audiences primarily through film festivals and other limited channels. Similarly, India’s major film industries, including Bollywood, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali cinema, have had relatively limited exposure in Argentina. This suggests scope for greater engagement through cinema, including as a means of cultural and soft-power exchange. However, the potential of film as a channel for strengthening cultural relations between the two countries remains largely underdeveloped.
Similarly, there needs to be mutual promotion of tourism between the two countries. Both nations offer complementary attractions and experiences from a tourism perspective. Currently, the lack of direct flight connectivity between Latin America and South Asia poses a major roadblock to enhancing people-to-people interactions, travel, and tourism.
Indian diaspora
As of 2013, about 200 Indian citizens (predominantly from the Sindhi community) reside in Buenos Aires, of which, half have lived there for over 30 years. Other Indian residents are employees of Indian and multinational corporations in Argentina. About 300 Punjabi Sikhs settled down in Salta province in the early and mid twentieth century. As of 2013, their current population numbers around 2000. They have become Argentine citizens and are mostly employed in retail and wholesale trade. There is a gurudwara in Rosario de la Frontera.[2]
