Beef within the Paraguayan economy occupies almost 20% of Paraguay’s exports, ranking 6th. largest exporter worldwide.
The National Sustainable Meat Platform works on the implementation of an Action Plan to improve the economic, social and environmental performance of the production chain.
It has been selected to work with this commodity due to its environmental, economic, social and financial impact in the BAAPA region. Considering as a key element the work with medium and large-scale producers of beef cattle, seeking transformational changes that guarantee compliance with environmental policies and regulations in the country; encouraging them to adopt best practices that favor the conservation of ecosystem functions, including biodiversity to guarantee the long-term sustainability of production.
Characteristics of the productive sector
Beef farming is a very traditional activity in Paraguay and has assumed an important role within its economy in the last decade with a 46.3% growth in the cattle herd. Livestock participation in the national GDP is 5% with a tendency to rise.
The growth in the production of bovine meat in Paraguay has been significant in recent years, due to the substantial improvement of animal genetics, which has allowed the entry to new markets, the sale of export meat products at better prices and even the export of live animals.
The amount of meat exported in 2016 has reached Shipping Weight values of 271,261 Ton., Carcass Weight: 383,183 Ton., With values of 1,121,906,000 U $ D and export to 55 markets.
Paraguayan livestock, be it intensive, semi-intensive or extensive, is characterized by developing on natural fields or implanted pastures, giving meat special characteristics in its flavor, which allow market opportunities that can be exploited. Although there are farming practices or “feedlot”, these are still very little used.
The production is classified in livestock as traditional and business, the first is constituted by the ranches located in the old areas of natural grasslands and wetlands that, in general, are extensive traditional production systems with low productivity; the second is characterized by including more advanced and innovative management techniques, constituting the most dynamic sector of cattle in the country.
The approximate distribution of the cattle herd at the national level corresponds to 60% in the Eastern Region and 40% in the Western Region or Chaco. In the Eastern Region, the Departments that concentrate the largest number of cattle are San Pedro, Concepción and Amambay, reaching 44% of the total number of cattle in the Eastern Region. In the Western Region, the largest amount is found in the Department of Presidente Hayes, representing 52% of the region.
Source: https://greencommoditiesparaguay.org/carne/
