A man from Chaco exported 56 tons of watermelon to Uruguay thanks to Milei's deregulation

The decisive shift towards free trade led by President Javier Milei in Argentina continues to yield historic results for regional economies. The collapse of the Kirchnerist regulatory model has given way to a new era where economic deregulation unleashes the true productive potential of the country, achieving commercial milestones that until recently were buried by state interventionism. The paradigmatic case of this private triumph is that, after the unlocking of exports driven by President Milei, a producer from Chaco sent 56 tons of watermelons to Uruguay.

This remarkable commercial feat was successfully carried out from northern Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay, using the logistics of two trucks carrying 28,000 kilos of fruit each. The shipment was organized over two consecutive days: on November 10, 2026, the first truck departed from the farm located in Paraje La Esperanza, in the town of Juan José Castelli, province of Chaco, while the second truck set off on Wednesday, November 11 at 5:19 PM. The entire load consisted of the production achieved by Javier Detzel (the owner’s cousin) and his son Luciano Detzel, consolidating the work of the family business.

The direct responsible for this achievement is the agricultural entrepreneur Walter Detzel, head of the company Castelli Sandías and regarded in the sector as "The Messi of watermelon". Walter Detzel represents the third generation of a family of producers whose grandparents arrived from Germany fleeing the war to settle in Juan José Castelli, where they dedicated themselves to fruit cultivation. This shipment of 56 tons constitutes the second export to the eastern country, with the first precedent recorded in 2025 after the initial deregulation.

The background of this achievement highlights the structural damage caused by the regulatory caste: for years, an unusual and irrational regulation from the National Service of Health and Quality of Agro-Food (Senasa) prevented the bulk marketing of fruit, forcing the conditioning and individual packaging of each unit of watermelon and squash to be able to export. That absurd Senasa requirement dramatically increased costs, hindered logistics, and made the business unfeasible for Castelli Sandías and its clients.

In fact, on a previous occasion, the merchandise had been held up due to administrative demands, resulting in the total deterioration of the fruit and the loss of international buyers, who ceased operations due to bureaucratic insecurity.

In the face of this state overreach, Walter Detzel took the complaint directly to the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, explaining that the demands were preventing commercial operations with active demand and that bulk shipping was common and necessary. Thanks to the firm political will of the government of Javier Milei, the repressive provisions were repealed, reopening exports without the obligation for individual packaging.

With deregulation achieved, the entrepreneur took on the task of regaining the trust of lost buyers after previous bad experiences. Celebrating the success of the operation, the producer highlighted: “We are making history with a new shipment to Uruguay”.

The impact of this free market model benefits the entire regional productive community. In addition to cultivation, Castelli Sandías distributes hybrid seeds, inputs, and fertilizers for watermelon and squash, providing technical advice to about 200 producers. In his private leadership, the entrepreneur began giving explanatory talks to convey the opportunities of the new economic scenario. In this regard, he stated: “I want everyone to be able to do it, that’s why I started giving talks to explain what we had done, the possibilities that are opening up, the markets are there, there is interest”.

From a geoeconomic perspective, Walter Detzel highlighted the natural virtues of his area by stating: “In Chaco, the warm climate favors us, Castelli is a very productive area, here we have a regional economy that excels in the cultivation of watermelon, squash, and melons. In previous years, we managed to ship 1200 trucks per season to all markets in the country. We supply the 20 provinces in the south from the north and make the first delivery”.

Reflecting on Argentina's economic history, he recalled: “I grew up with my father watching the ups and downs of the Argentine economy, on many occasions I saw how merchandise was lost that was not sold in the field, because the price of these seasonal crops is determined by the market and is very dynamic, it’s supply and demand”. Therefore, he considers it crucial to consolidate exports to neighboring countries and is already excited about entering the European Union market.

In that same line of growth, on Friday, October 30, he completed the shipment of the first truck of Salteño lead squash to Chile. He also plans to increase quality and quantity through desalination irrigation of groundwater with technology from Israel, for which he will request the mediation of the Secretariat of Agriculture.