Paraguay: Potatoes are among the top four vegetables in the basic food basket.
In Paraguay, approximately 100 tons are needed per day, while production can supply the market for approximately 55 days.
Paraguay annually demands 43,000 tons of potatoes for consumption, while 6,000 tons were produced in the twelve months through 2024, so the remainder is imported.
Production areas include 13 departments, including Amambay, Canindeyú, San Pedro and Concepción, Paraguarí, Guairá, Caazapá, Central, Misiones, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, and Cordillera. In the south of the country, Itapúa and Ñeembucú have enjoyed excellent yields and production since last year.
Main production area
In the country, some 3,000 producers are dedicated to cultivation, with the department of Paraguarí still accounting for 70% of national production, with some 1,500 producers in the area, with the remainder distributed among other departments.
Cultivation in this area dates back to the 1980s, after its peak it declined until the 2000s, only to re-emerge around 2010, becoming the main source of production.
Yields range from 10,000 to 12,000 kilos per hectare, the national average. Among them, there are two types of producers: an innovative producer who applies technology and can produce up to 35,000 or 40,000 kilos per hectare.
And traditional producers, who don’t have an irrigation system, are reaching 8,000, 10,000 kilos per hectare. That’s why, since 80% of producers are conventional or traditional, the national average is still quite low, he said.
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