Paraguay plans to install a nitrogen fertilizer plant in Carmelo Peralta, initially supplied with Argentine gas from Vaca Muerta and later with gas from the Paraguayan Chaco, mainly serving Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul through the Bioceanic Route and the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.
Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay
Pytagua coverage mentioning Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay.
The Paraguayan private sector warns that the toll on the Argentine stretch of the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway may exceed the profit margins of agricultural exports, prompting the government to seek a diplomatic solution with Argentina.
An expert reports that approximately one thousand flights carrying cocaine land monthly on clandestine airstrips in Paraguay, primarily in the Central region bordering the Paraguay River. From there, the drugs travel via the Paraguay-Paraná waterway to Europe or overland to Brazil and Argentina, in an operation facilitated by bribes and low state capacity.
Paraguay argues that the toll on the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, currently around US$1.30 per ton, should remain stable or even decrease under the new concession, in order to protect the country's foreign trade and preserve the competitiveness of the river corridor.
Paraguay and Argentina are making progress in defining the terms for the concession of dredging, signaling, and technological modernization works on the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway, with exclusive participation of Paraguayan companies in the consortia. The goal is to ensure 24-hour navigation, increase the operational draft of the Paraná River, and reduce logistical costs.
Paraguayan shipowners are pushing for a reduction in toll fees on the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway, currently around US$1.30 per net registered ton, arguing that there is no justification for the rates and citing shortcomings in maintenance services. Meanwhile, the Argentine government is moving forward with the pre-award of the new concession for the Argentine stretch of the waterway to the consortium formed by Belgian company Jan De Nul and Argentine firm Servimagnus, with a contract expected to run for 30 years.