The Alto Paraná department is home to 160 of the 324 maquila companies registered in Paraguay, while about 90% of the business inquiries received by the Alto Paraná Governor’s Office come from Brazil. The figure highlights the strength of economic integration along the border and will be one of the focuses of the 17th Expo Paraguay Brasil, scheduled for November 11 to 13 at the TASK Space of the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI), in Hernandarias.
Proximity to Brazil allows businesspeople to maintain residences in cities such as Foz do Iguaçu and travel to Paraguay daily. The availability of skilled labor, the use of Portuguese and the ability to operate in reais and dollars are also cited as factors encouraging new business in the region.
Organized by the Paraguay-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (CCPB), with support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), the fair aims to turn this interest into more than US$600 million in estimated investment. The program includes more than 260 booths, 300 exhibitors, 10,000 visitors and approximately 2,000 business meetings.
The event will focus on “Technology, Innovation and Industry 4.0” and will bring together business matchmaking sessions, conferences, activities for startups and spaces aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. The 10th Expo Maquila will also be part of the program.
Industry and Commerce Minister Marco Riquelme said Paraguay’s strategy is to complement Brazilian industry, not replace it. “If a Brazilian industry can manufacture part of its supply chain more efficiently in Paraguay, using our energy, our cost structure and our investment regimes, and then integrate that production back into its regional supply chain, both countries benefit,” he said.
Sectors with the greatest potential include auto parts and electronic components, especially wiring harnesses; textiles and clothing; aluminum and plastic products; chemicals and biofuels; as well as processed foods and agribusiness. The proposal is to incorporate Paraguayan companies into the supply chains of southern Brazil, especially in the automotive, construction, consumer goods and agribusiness sectors.
The CCPB also highlights opportunities outside Alto Paraná in areas such as commerce, agribusiness and tourism. For participants, the exhibition’s main expected result is to turn contacts into suppliers, strategic partners and investment projects that move forward after the fair ends.