Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies approved, on May 20, 2026, a draft declaration recognizing the national emergency of the situation of small-scale yerba mate producers. The initiative, presented by Deputy Germán Solinger (ANR-Itapúa), orders state agencies to comply with Article 25 of the Agrarian Statute, which requires the government to mediate trade between producers and buyers to ensure fair prices.
Producers say a kilo of green leaf delivered to the dryer is paid at G. 1,200. Of that amount, G. 200 goes to freight and G. 300 to the task, leaving the producer with only G. 600 per kilo. By contrast, cancheada yerba mate sells for G. 6,000 a kilo, a gap that, they say, highlights the power of large companies in setting prices.
The bill’s explanatory memorandum, signed by Solinger, notes that producers affiliated with the Federation of Yerba Mate Producers of Northeast Itapúa (FEPYN) warn the crisis is driving many workers to rip out their yerba mate plantations to make way for the advance of transgenic soy. The document stresses that the request is not for price controls, but for compliance with the mediation role provided by law, as well as regulation of the yerba mate industry and specific rules to protect the sector.
The emergency declaration considers yerba mate an emblematic and essential product for the country, and urges institutions to enforce the Agrarian Statute. The measure seeks to prevent the collapse of hundreds of farming families who depend on the activity.