MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pork exports growing in Paraguay

“Pork and chicken are the most consumed protein in the world,” Camperchioli insisted

Paraguayan pork exports are looking at a brighter future for 2023, according to various positive developments on various fronts over the past few months, it was reported in Asunción.

National Animal Health and Quality Service (Senacsa) President José Carlos Martín Camperchioli highlighted the resumption of pork shipments to Russia in November after almost three years, despite some nuisances.

“We have to be a little frank and communicate that we continue to have many problems, Russia continues to have many problems at a general level and there is a lot of uncertainty about what may happen, although some conversations were resumed to export pork to Russia, it is positive news,” he said. “Now only one logistics company reaches Russia, the cost of transportation increased almost 400% to reach Russia with a chilled frozen container,” he added while stressing Russia's importance for Paraguayan animal protein.

The official also pointed out that the meat sold to Russia is boneless and consists mainly of three cuts: bondiola, boneless pork leg, and offal. Pork giblets are good for their collagen, he also explained, while pork offal is exported as an added value for sausage finishing, or for industrial purposes as collagen for sausages. “In order to shape the sausages, it is exported with additional labor; it is already undergoing a post-industrial process. The industry takes the products to another industry and they are in charge of exporting,” Camperchioli said.

He also insisted that Russia was a very demanding market where there is also a communications problem: “There is a very complex language barrier already, we have the professionals who also speak Russian. They are demanding,” which resulted in Paraguay upping its biosecurity standards since 2019. Meanwhile, pork sales to Taiwan have been cleared after four years of work to meet 15 objectives set by the Asian country.

“Today prices are going up a lot,” Camperchioli also pointed out. At US$ 2.5 per kilo, pork remains “cheaper than beef,” he also argued. “Pork and chicken are the most consumed protein in the world,” he insisted. He denied that opening new markets would have an impact on domestic prices.

Camperchioli also said that on December 21 an audit from Canada had been carried out and the results are due in about two months to start exporting pork to the North American country.