(Yicai Global) Dec. 23 -- China is by far the world's biggest importer of Argentine beef, making up 74 percent of all exports, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The Asian nation imported 592,000 of 800,000 tons exported between October 2018 and September 2019, per data CCTV cited from the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute. The global export total was worth about USD3 billion.

Argentina's fellow Latin American country Chile was the second-biggest importer while Israel came in third.

China is one of the world's fastest-growing markets in terms of beef consumption and there are now 34 Argentine suppliers sending fresh and frozen beef to the country, according to the institute, which forecasts a steady rise in the quality and quantity of China-bound beef from Argentina over the next few years.

Editor: James Boynton