At the end of August, Paraguay had the lowest price for pig meat in South America, the Paraguayan Association of Pig Producers (APPC) said in a report.
According to the report, the Paraguayan pig sector had a value of US$ 1.25 per kg of live weight, which represents the lowest price for the animals brought to slaughterhouses in the region.
Uruguay had the highest prices in the region: US$ 2.13 per kilo, followed by Colombia with US$ 2.03; Chile with US$ 1.93; Argentina with US$ 1.86, and Brazil with US$ 1.39.
The report mentions that China, Russia and Mexico registered a price of US$ 3.14, US$ 2.07 and US$ 1.94.
The surplus, both nationally and regionally, continues to be a very worrying factor for the sector because it leads to lower prices
Jorge Ramírez, president of APPC
Jorge Ramírez, president of APPC, indicated the devaluation coincides with the increase in production costs. He explained to the newspaper La Nación that the surplus, both nationally and regionally, continues to be a very worrying factor for the sector because it leads to lower prices.
This price is the lowest since January 2022, when it reached the value of US$ 1.40 per kilogram.
“In Paraguayan pig farming, one sector produces for export and the other for domestic consumption. The small and medium farms are working in the domestic market and there is a drop in what they receive,” he mentioned.
He clarified that US$ 1.25 is paid per kilogram of live animals on the international market, while producers at the local market are receiving US $ 0.94 on average.
On the other hand, Ramírez commented that the cost of production is still quite high, which is why the farms continue to work with a negative balance of around 25% for each kilo produced.
Although there has been a small respite due to the fall in the price of corn, a fundamental grain for production, the price remains unstable.