Expo Madera 2026 brings together 17 countries in Luque through Saturday, September 12, to promote Paraguay’s forest industrialization. Sector exports reached US$101 million in 2025 and totaled US$59.9 million in the first seven months of 2026.
Marco Riquelme
Pytagua coverage mentioning Marco Riquelme.
Paraguay Business Week will bring together investment, trade, maquila and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from November 11 to 13 at the TASK Center in Hernandarias, with more than 10,000 participants expected and US$1 billion in projected business, strengthening business ties between Paraguay and Brazil.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched MIC MAP, a platform that integrates territorial, productive, logistics, energy, social and trade data from across Paraguay to guide public policy, investment and productive planning.
Paraguay’s manufacturing industry has grown and is seeking long-term credit, stable energy, training and technology to expand investment, jobs and exports.
Paraguay and Chile are assessing the creation of an electrical interconnection network to strengthen regional energy security, enable energy exchange, and protect against system vulnerabilities.
Paraguay's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marco Riquelme, announced a new strategy to replace the cooperation and donations model with Taiwan with one focused on commercial transactions, including direct soybean sales and expanded meat exports.
Paraguay's hotel sector supports merging Senatur with MIC, while travel agencies express caution about the proposal to create a new integrated ministry.
Paraguay sends 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Colombia after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Chocó leaves 294 dead, 3,935 injured, 320 missing, and damages infrastructure, housing, and animals.
An Argentine commercial mission with about 100 businesspeople is in Paraguay to conduct business rounds, mainly in the food and beverage sectors, aiming to open new trade channels.
Paraguay's Tourism Minister, Jacinto Santa María, resigned after three months for "personal and dignity reasons", and the government announced the merger of the portfolio with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Paraguay recorded a 40% increase in foreign direct investment in 2025, driven by hydropower and telecommunications, while the government launches strategies like the 'Industrial Revolution' to attract more capital and double GDP with sectoral reforms.
Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce has created a business council to ensure continuity of sectoral policies across governments and presented a zoning plan to develop specialized industrial hubs in regions like Caaguazú and Caazapá.
The Paraguayan government has announced a full exemption and discounts of up to 75% on more than 100 procedures for micro and small businesses holding the Mipyme ID. The measure was presented at the Mipyme 360 Forum to boost the sector that generates the majority of jobs in the country.
Wholesale merchants at the Mercado de Abasto in Asunción are denouncing the persistence of a structure of corruption, extortion, and severe insecurity, threatening protests if five accused employees are not removed.
Paraguay has made it mandatory to blend between 8% and 10% biodiesel into common diesel, a measure supported by the government and the biofuels sector to encourage local production, which they claim is technically safe for engines.
Paraguay has increased the mandatory biodiesel blend in common diesel to between 8% and 10% starting this Sunday, despite protests from the fuel sector, which warns of potential price increases and engine damage.
The Taiwanese company Master Bus will invest USD 30 million to manufacture electric buses in Paraguay, a project expected to generate thousands of jobs and has the support of the Paraguayan government.
Minister Marco Riquelme announced a forum in Silicon Valley on June 26 to position Paraguay as a regional hub for artificial intelligence, clean energy, and digital infrastructure, bringing together leaders from the tech sector and promoting investments in the country.
The MIC met with European ambassadors to assess access for Paraguayan products to the EU market under the Mercosur-EU agreement, with a focus on zero-tariff quotas in sectors such as meat, rice, honey, and organic sugar. The agreement's entry-into-force date requires independent confirmation.
JBS inaugurated the Pollos Blanco mega poultry plant in J. Eulogio Estigarribia, Caaguazú, with an investment of 185 million dollars, an initial capacity to slaughter 100,000 chickens per day, and the creation of 780 direct jobs.
The Paraguayan government defended the preferential rate of US$30 per MWh granted to the company Atome for green fertilizer production, arguing that the figure is justified by operational efficiency and low transmission losses, while the ANDE workers' union and experts criticized the measure and pointed to regulatory weaknesses in the electricity sector.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marco Riquelme, and representatives of the Yacyretá Binational Entity met with local authorities in Ayolas to assess the installation of new industrial parks, aiming to align the necessary infrastructure and leverage the energy surplus to attract investments.