Paraguay’s Ministry of National Defense contracted snack kits worth up to G. 1.8 billion for military personnel deployed during Rally del Paraguay, a round of the World Rally Championship held in Itapúa. The package includes alfajores, flans, biscuits, chocolate milk, juices, yogurt, sports drinks, canned beef and picadillo.
The contract, identified by public tender ID 490185 and managed by the Armed Forces Logistics Command, was divided into six lots. More than 2,000 military personnel took part in the event’s security operation, which covered a region with large crowds and movements between different sections of the circuit.
The largest contract, worth up to G. 1.332 billion, went to El Castillo SA. The company submitted prices of G. 6,250 per yogurt, G. 3,550 per flan and G. 2,600 per alfajor. Agropecuaria Itabo SAC received a contract worth up to G. 358 million to serve the southern, northern and eastern areas of the circuit. Carni Shop SRL received a contract worth up to G. 110 million for the western region.
UNPAR SA and Cámica SRL also took part in the bidding. The process provided for the delivery of food to cavalry, infantry and Army units, as well as the Army’s Noncommissioned Officers’ School.
The justification published in the system of the National Directorate of Public Procurement (DNCP), the government body that publishes public purchasing processes, states that the food was necessary to ensure the military personnel’s working conditions, performance and health. The document classifies the supplies as an “essential input for the normal development of operational activities” and warns that any interruption could affect the continuity of the service.
The amount has drawn attention because the government of Santiago Peña adopted “state austerity” as one of its flagship policies. The then-economy minister, Carlos Fernández Valdovinos, went so far as to describe the fiscal situation as a “war economy.” Spending on the snacks has reignited debate over which public expenses are considered priorities when the state mobilizes resources to protect a private sporting event.
Defense Minister retired General Óscar Luis González Cañete did not respond to contacts made by the news team before publication. The process sets a spending ceiling and does not necessarily mean that the full amount was spent; the final expense will depend on deliveries and payments recorded in the public administration.