The different public policies and international policies related to the meat sector must be predictable over time and Paraguay should aim to access a greater number of markets, which will also improve the price, state authorities and representatives of the sector agreed.
José Carlos Martín, head of the National Animal Health Service (Senacsa), and Mario Balmelli, president of the Meat Commission of the Rural Association of Paraguay (ARP), addressed the issue “Paraguayan meat and its potential. The socio-economic development from its production, industrialization and export”, during Plaza Pública DENDE, under the moderation of Yan Speranza and the opening of Alberto Acosta Garbarino, head of the organization.
It is worth mentioning that currently 11 countries concentrate 83% of all meat imports in the world, while 4 countries concentrate 65%. Although Paraguay is among the 10 exporters in the world, it is not present in the markets of China, the United States, Japan and South Korea.
One of the main reasons for paying $1,700 less per ton of Paraguayan meat in relation to the price paid for meat from Argentina and Uruguay is due to the fact that we do not have relations with Continental China. In this sense, José Carlos Martin pointed out that the different public policies and international policies must be predictable over time.
By the year 2030 it is expected that 66% of the entire world population will have their middle class in Asia, for which Paraguay must improve the lobby to enter these markets.
Regarding the other markets, the head of Senacsa commented that the opening of the United States market is expected for April of next year, which will also allow the opening of the Canadian market, with which 30,000 tons of meat could be sold in both markets.
With the opening of the US and Canadian markets, 30,000 tons of meat could be exported to both countries.
He added that he also there are important advances in the opening of the markets of Japan and South Korea. It is estimated that in the case of Japan, the opening could take place in seven years.
Likewise, Martin highlighted that at the initiative of Senacsa this year the first typification of Paraguay was approved, a regulatory system that allows the homogenization and standardization of the quality and type of product when it comes out and is offered to the different markets.
Paraguay currently has 13,500,000 head of cattle and has approximately 138,000 registered producers, of which 87% have less than 100 head of cattle. Although 52% of livestock production is still concentrated in the Eastern Region, in the Western Region sustained growth has been recorded in recent years, although within the export circuit, 60% of the meat that Paraguay exports comes from the Chaco, due to the commercial and business profile that handles.
Related note: They mention the need for Paraguay to expand the current meat markets
The head of Senacsa indicated that there is still significant informality in the livestock sector, and although Paraguay has done a lot in terms of sustainability, the pending issue is to go out to the different markets and improve lobbying.
It is estimated that this year there will be 330,000 tons of meat exports, which will allow an approximate income of 2,000 million dollars, despite the fact that China, which represents 30% of the world protein market, is experiencing a recession.
Meanwhile, Mario Balmelli indicated that China today is the second largest economy in the world, but by the year 2030 it is expected to be the first economy in the world, for which Paraguay cannot stop being in this market.
For his part, the head of DENDE, Alberto Acosta Garbarino, pointed out that today meat is an important source of foreign currency income for the country and the growth that it has been registering generates the challenge of access to the main markets. The largest are the United States, China, Japan and Korea; but Paraguay today does not have access to any of these markets.
You may also be interested in: They seize more than three thousand kilos of beef that was smuggled in
Finally, Yan Speranza said that the meat sector is extremely important for Paraguayan society, and recalled that 87% of livestock producers have less than 100 heads, which is a very unique reality in Paraguay, unlike the large producers from other countries that are more concentrated in the large producers.
