Paraguay is closely following the progress of the new concession for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, pushed forward by Argentina, and argues that the implementation of a toll on the route should not lead to higher costs for the country's foreign trade. The waterway is the main ocean outlet for Paraguayan production, through which exports of soybeans, corn, meat, fuels, and fertilizers flow, as well as a large share of the imports that supply the domestic market.
The president of the Administración Nacional de Navegación y Puertos (ANNP), Julio César Vera Cáceres, stated that the expectation is for the toll rate — currently around US$1.30 per net register ton — to remain stable while the concession process is finalized and potentially even decrease once the definitive contract is formalized. According to him, there are grounds to believe that the cost will not rise, since an increase would harm all the countries that use the waterway.
Vera Cáceres stressed that a potential toll hike would affect not only Paraguay but also Brazil and Bolivia, whose products depend on the river corridor to reach international markets. The goal, according to the head of the ANNP, is to preserve a reasonable rate that keeps river transport competitive across the entire region.
The new concessionaire must back up any charges with concrete investments in dredging, buoying, and maintenance of the waterway, so that the toll effectively corresponds to the services provided. The Paraguayan government's expectation is that the definitive contract will establish clear and predictable conditions for all users, avoiding the uncertainty scenarios seen in previous years.
For Paraguay, tariff predictability is considered essential, since a large part of its economy depends on river navigation and logistical competitiveness compared to other exporting countries. With the new concession underway, the country intends to monitor each stage of the process, convinced that the future of the waterway will largely determine its competitiveness in the coming decades.