The sale price of cattle in Paraguay rose by about 22% in dollars between January and August 2026. When converted into guaraníes, however, producers’ revenue increased by only approximately 6%, according to a report by the Asociación Paraguaya de Productores y Exportadores de Carne (Appec).
The report shows that the increase in international prices was not reflected to the same extent in revenue expressed in the local currency. The gap between the indicators highlights the effect of the guaraní’s appreciation on the results received by producers.
Between January and August 2026, cattle prices therefore rose by about 22% in dollars, while revenue converted into guaraníes increased by nearly 6%. The comparison measures the change in the price in U.S. dollars against revenue calculated in Paraguay’s currency.
“For producers, the final result depends not only on the price they obtain for their cattle, but also on the dollar exchange rate and the evolution of their costs, which are largely expressed in guaraníes,” the report says.
The document describes the improvement in international prices as a positive signal for the meat industry and foreign-exchange generation, while stressing that an increase in dollars does not automatically represent an equivalent rise in profitability.
According to the report’s assessment, the nearly 6% growth in revenue converted into guaraníes indicates that a considerable share of the benefit associated with higher international prices was absorbed by exchange-rate dynamics. The text suggests that a more gradual appreciation of the guaraní could have allowed a larger share of that improvement to reach the local economy of the livestock industry.
For companies and buyers following Paraguayan beef abroad, comparing the two indicators helps distinguish the product’s appreciation in dollars from the result calculated in the local currency. The report also identifies the gap as a challenge for the national cattle industry’s capacity to reinvest and expand.