By January, more than 200,000 tons had already been shipped, despite the fact that at this time of year there are usually decreases in shipments due to the Paraguayan soybean harvest.

Considering only the 2024 harvest cycle, from October to January, Paraguay exported 203,663 tons of wheat, with an increase of 76% or about 87,962 tons compared to the 2023 campaign, when the record reached 115,701 tons, according to the foreign trade report of the Paraguayan Chamber of Cereal and Oilseed Exporters (Capeco).

Sonia Tomassone, Capeco's Foreign Trade Advisor, explained that although in the first month there are generally few shipments of both wheat and corn due to the soybean harvest, there were marketing opportunities, especially to the Brazilian market.

However, if only shipments per calendar year are considered, a drop can be observed in both volume and value.

While 36,084 tons of wheat were shipped in January 2024, at the beginning of this year only 14,264 tons were exported, which impacted the income of foreign currency for this sector.

Last January, wheat sales to the international market generated US$ 3,295,704, which implies a decrease of 53% or US$ 3,731,879 compared to the same period last year, when the figure rose to US$ 7,027,583.

MAIN DESTINATIONS

Tomassone also explained that wheat is highly industrialized in the country and has an internal consumption of 700,000 tons/year, so the surplus for export is low.

Among the various markets, Brazil remains the main one, with 99% of the total exported, followed by Bolivia and Vietnam (1%).

In total, 31 companies were responsible for exports for the 2024 wheat harvest. The ranking of exporters is headed by Sumar Trading (12%), followed by Agrofértil (10%), LAR and Agrosilo Santa Catalina (9%) and Ovetril (8%).