In the months leading up to the event United Pork Americas (being held 7–9 September), Pig Progress is taking a deep dive into pig countries in the region. What is pork production like in different countries in both continents and what are the prospects for development? In this third and last part, we look at Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
Paraguay strives to advance on the global market Dominican Republic Venezuela Ecuador Paraguay Chile
Paraguay has plenty of potential to become a rele- vant player on the world pig scene thanks to signifi- cant national grain production, large areas, climate and proactive producers. However, they do not have a consolidated foreign trade infrastructure and face powerful competitors in their backyard, such as Bra- zil, Argentina and Chile, which impedes them con- quering global markets. Domestically, the Latin American country has been taking off. Paraguay has increased production by 191.3% (22,906 to 66,900 tonnes) and grew its per capita consumption by 350% (from 2 kg to 9 kg) be- tween 2011 and 2021. Pork facilities slaughtered 667,465 pigs in 2021, or 184% more (432,402 head), compared to 10 years be- fore, when production amounted to 235,063 animals. According to the Regional Office Management Infor- mation System (SIGOR), Paraguay’s national pig herd currently counts 1,503,165 head on 46,188 farms. Among those animals:
• 69.5% (1.05 million) is being kept at industrial farms;
• 3.6% (just over 53,000) are grown by medium-scale farmers; and
• 26.9% (almost 405,000) are be- ing produced on family properties. The Paraguayan Association of Pig Producers (ACCP) shared optimism re- garding the expected growth pace for 2022, but expressed some concerns as well.
The association forecast an increase in sows of 20– 30% while having doubts about production costs, particularly on grains. Despite having significant grain production, Para- guay has suffered strong droughts of late. The inde- pendent agricultural consultancy agency Datagro estimated that Paraguay’s harvest could be only 4.68 million tonnes in the season 2021/22, compared to 9.70 million tonnes in 2020/21, largely due to the irregular climate. Corn production might be
Almost 70% of pigs in Paraguay are kept on industrial farms.
affected as well. Because of the shortage of raw ma- terials for animal feed, production costs in the pork industry have increased recently. In addition, inflation will affect fuel, medicines and other inputs.
Foreign trade Domestic growth of pork consumption has already been taking place, yet the sector also expects to en- hance its development via foreign trade. Pig produc- ers have large expectations of Taiwan’s allowance for Paraguayan pork meat. Paraguay has requested an exportation quota of 10,000 tonnes to Taiwan. That approval process could be concluded in 2022. The Paraguayan National Ani- mal Quality and Health Service (Senacsa) has already sent laboratory results about pigs from different farms throughout the country. According to La Na- ción newspaper, there are no longer technical objec- tions, but the Taiwanese have to visit Paraguay for verification purposes. Senacsa reported that in 2021, Paraguay exported at least 5,000 tonnes of pork meat to seven countries, being Georgia (48%), Uruguay (25%), Brazil (12%), Mozambique (4%), Angola (2%), Azerbaijan (1%) and Gabon (1%). Worth noting is that, in January 2022, exports went back to zero. Experts stated that this was related to China’s withdrawal from being an im- porting country, leading to other countries offering pork for lower prices.
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022 der: Vormgeving; Job: ; Client/Licensee: ; Other: 61
PHOTO: SENACSA
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