MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay with record soybean harvest, most of it for exporting

The latest harvest was 9.28 million tons, up 13% over the previous crop and with prospects of further expansion

Landlocked Paraguay has become the new 'soybean king' with a harvest of over 9 million tons, a new record, 13% compared to the previous crop, according to the figures released by the Paraguayan Chamber of Grains and Oilseeds Exporters, Capeco.

 The exact volume so far is 9.285.000 tons, which has also come with an increase of the area planted and with even more encouraging prospects for this year.

The previous crop and record was last year with 8.202.190 tons with an area of 3.254.982 hectares, which is 97.982 hectares more than last year.

“Abundant rains in the second half of January and first half of February, except in the north of the country” helped production and yields“ said Luis Cubilla an agronomist from Capeco.

Cubilla also revealed that of the total production, almost 8.1 million tons are processed by the local oil industry and shipped overseas. The rest of the harvest, almost 1.2 million tons are left for seeds.

”The abundance of soy protein has also been essential for Paraguay's chicken and pork farming and feed lots to fatten cattle. The pellets and seeds industry generate abundant jobs and investment which further helps to expand the soybean agriculture” explained Hector Grisaldo, president of the Production Unions, UGP.

As to yields the average in the Alto Paraná region with a production of 3.4 million tons, was 3,370 kilos per hectare, Itaupá with an annual crop of 1.7 million tons, the average yield was 2.643 kilos while in Canindeyú with 1.6 million tons, the yield was 2.683 kilos.

Paraguay is among the world's leading exporters of soybeans behind, Brazil, US and Argentina.