Paraguay's National Animal Health and Quality Service (Senacsa) confirmed this week that the European Union's (EU) Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante) has satisfactorily concluded an audit of the South American country's beef production. Conducted in September 2024, the audit evaluated official controls and certification systems, including checks on pharmacologically active substances, pesticides, and contaminants.
Paraguayan authorities considered this weekend that after Saturday's arrest of Lourdes Ramírez de Ramos, wife of the armed group Ejército del Mariscal López (EML) leader Alejandro Ramos, the illegal organization has been fully dismantled. The couple's daughter Lourdes Teresita Ramos has also been detained recently. They are all believed to have been involved in the kidnapping and subsequent disappearance of cattle rancher Félix Urbieta. Prosecutor Pablo Zárate confirmed that the two women had been placed under pre-trial detention.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Thursday celebrated the creation of over 96,000 new jobs since the start of his administration, according to a study from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) released in Asunción which showed a significant increase from the third quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2024, with major growth in commerce, restaurants, hotels, community services, and construction sectors.
The Paraguayan side of the Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY) admitted Wednesday that Argentina now owed nothing after paying US$ 23 million earlier this week, although certain arrangements concerning US$ 50 million were still pending. Paraguay's EBY General Manager Luis Benítez also pointed out that a financial agreement would be signed next week to set the entity's accounts straight.
Paraguayan health authorities confirmed during the weekend that the newly implemented night shift had provided medical assistance to over 526,700 patients consultations, thus decompressing the demand for those services in the morning. They also pointed out that the number of Covid-19 cases was going down, although one death was reported.
Paraguayan meat shipments to Morocco are expected to double after a team from the South American country met with buyers this week to discuss cooperation in the agricultural sector, with an emphasis on accessing advanced technology and essential fertilizers. Presiding over the mission to Rabat was Representative Carlos Alberto Núñez Salinas of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino).
Nuevo Mundo Entertainment SA Director Santiago Sosa explained Thursday the details of the redevelopment works undertaken at the Paraguayan capital's historic port. In an interview with an Asunción broadcaster, he explained that the project stemming from an agreement with the Government signed early last year will include the recovery and modernization of the facility's four sheds, converting them into a multifunctional space with commercial premises, open-air stages, and a large-capacity events center.
The Argentine Government of President Javier Milei Wednesday declared the tender for the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway - which handles 80% of the country's exports and is also vital for Paraguay - concession void and launched an investigation into the only bidders: Dredging Environmental and Marine Engineering (DEME) for allegedly pressuring other potential bidders not to participate. The National Commission for the Defense of Competition will look into possible anti-competitive practices or an illicit association, it was explained.
Argentina's Administrative Investigations Prosecutor’s Office (PIA) has identified “serious irregularities” in the bidding process for the concession of the Paraná-Paraguay waterway, a crucial trade corridor for the region. The waterway is essential for exporting agricultural products from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay to the Atlantic.
Taipei's Embassy in Asunción confirmed this week that Paraguay's pork exports to Taiwan grew by 108% last year, thus grabbing an 87% share of the South American country's shipments of the product, yielding revenues around US$ 29 million.