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.
Marco Riquelme
Pytagua coverage mentioning Marco Riquelme.
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.
Industry and Commerce Minister Marco Riquelme said the country must prepare to convert its abundant electricity into AI data processing services, rather than ceding the surplus to Brazil.
DINAC’s director receives a GOL executive this Tuesday in a bid to revive a route suspended over rising fuel costs. Meanwhile, DINAVISA warns about illegal sales of tirzepatide medications in Ciudad del Este, and a car plunges into a crater in Mariano Roque Alonso amid a dispute between the municipality and Essap.
Brazilian group Dass, a manufacturer of footwear and apparel for brands such as Nike, Adidas, Fila, and Umbro, announced an investment of about US$40 million to set up a plant in Mariano Roque Alonso, near Asunción, under the maquila regime. The company already generates about 600 jobs in the country.
The business delegation that accompanied President Santiago Peña to Taiwan returned with concrete agreements to open the Taiwanese market to Paraguayan chicken meat, sell carbon credits, and set up bus and solar panel factories in Paraguay.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marcos Riquelme, acknowledged that the sharp fall of the dollar (about 25% in one year) is compressing margins and competitiveness of local industries, especially exporters who bill in dollars but have costs in guaranis. The US currency exchange rate opened the week at G. 6,120 in the effective exchange and G. 6,096 in the interbank market.
Paraguay's maquila regime recorded exports of US$471 million in the first four months of 2026, an increase of US$83 million compared to the same period in 2025. The sector generated 1,154 new jobs and approved 24 new investment programs. Additionally, brands such as Fila, Umbro, Nike, ASICS, and Champion are already producing in the country, with emphasis on the partnership between Grupo Texcin and Grupo Dass.
Dass Group, a Brazilian manufacturer of brands such as Nike, Adidas, Fila, Umbro, Asics and Champion, has transferred its production line from Argentina to Paraguay, attracted by tax incentives from the Maquila Regime. The new plant, inaugurated in March, received a US$ 40 million investment. While the factory in Coronel Suárez (Buenos Aires) was closed, the unit in Eldorado (Misiones) operates at reduced capacity, generating uncertainty among workers.