Paraguay building up as a rice productor power

By BKM | Berkemeyer

Egon Neufeld, president of the 44th edition of the Trébol exhibition fair, predicted that in a decade Paraguay may be the largest rice exporter in the world, as rice production is on the way to be heavily increased in the vast lands of Chaco, a semi-arid region in northern Paraguay consisting of more than 60 percent of the country’s land area. “The only thing currently missing is the infrastructure” said Neufeld during the event.

In 2017 rice production in Paraguay increased at about 700,000 tons as more normal weather happened, with the Departments of Misiones, Itapua and Caazapa concentrating about 80 percent of the country’s rice production.

Rice exports during the marketing year 2016/17 were at about 350,000 tons, higher than the previous year, with Brazil once more being the largest export market by far, taking over 75 percent of Paraguay’s rice exports. Chile was the second destination for Paraguayan rice, taking 35-45,000 tons during year.

After the Brazilian devaluation in 2015, the sector and the government have been working together to open new markets to be able to diversify exports.