Ministerio de Industria y Comercio

Paraguay’s vehicle fleet grew by 139% between 2014 and 2025, while fuel sales increased by 80%. Vice Minister Alberto Sborovsky also highlighted the country’s complete dependence on diesel imports and the expansion of biofuels.

Javier Giménez said he sees no conflict in relation to Juan Pablo Nogués Peña’s Conacyt role or if Atome takes a dispute with the state to international forums.

Paraguay’s business mission to the United States secured more than $1 billion in investments, including $700 million for an events center in Asunción and $200 million for the forestry sector.

A gradual reduction in tax incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles could raise about $20 million, estimates Iván Dumot, who criticizes the proposal and says improvements to public tenders could generate equivalent savings.

Decrees signed by Santiago Peña set hydrogen tariffs of US$30 to US$32 per MWh, close to the US$30 requested by Atome. The company’s manager, Juan Pablo Nogués Peña, is the president’s cousin and represented the Ministry of Industry on Conacyt; the documents examined do not prove that he influenced the decisions.

Paraguay launched the Paraguay Industrial program, with a US$100 million fund and loans of up to US$2.5 million per company, while proposing to Congress the merger of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) with the National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur).

Alto Paraná is home to 160 of Paraguay’s 324 maquila companies and receives about 90% of business inquiries from Brazil, while the 17th Expo Paraguay Brasil seeks to attract more than US$600 million in investment through productive integration between the two countries.

Paraguay will host the Ibero-American Country Brand Forum for the first time in November, with 17 delegations and a program expected to include talks on global brands, training sessions, business meetings and business networking activities, while the government announced 43 new licenses and nine renewals, bringing the current total to more than 150 licensed companies, including new and previously licensed businesses.

Sedeco has requested a full veto of a law requiring creditors to return paid promissory notes and providing for a fine equal to 20% of the document’s value, arguing that the measure improperly expands its authority to cover disputes between private parties; while the Executive makes its decision, the current rules remain in force.

Paraguayan exports under the maquila regime totaled $1.01 billion from January to August 2026, up 26% in one year, with a positive trade balance of $481 million, driven by auto parts, garments, beverages and aluminum manufactures, mainly for Mercosur.

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 will promote food and wine companies on October 19, 2026, at Castello di Solfagnano in Italy’s Umbria region, in a planned program of meetings, tastings and visits aimed at connecting producers with potential European buyers, investors and partners.

Mercosur held the first round of talks with Vietnam in Buenos Aires on a preferential trade agreement aimed at expanding market access, diversifying exports and fostering investment.

Paraguay granted 36,033 residence permits to foreigners between January and July 2026, 74% more than in the same period last year, including 23,994 to Brazilians, amid the expansion of the Investor Pass program and a 58% increase in applications.

Paraguay exported 75 products to 43 new destinations between January and July 2026, including biodiesel to Singapore, in a diversification drive that generated US$5.5 million from that shipment, according to Rediex data.

Paraguayan entrepreneurs are creating the Paraguay-United Arab Emirates Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (Capecit) and a Business Council before Dubai Chambers to expand commercial relations and take advantage of investment opportunities.

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's Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched the Expo Maquila and Plaza Mipymes platforms, which will be part of the Paraguay Business Week 2026 in Alto Paraná with the goal of generating $1 billion in business.

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.