The price of chia in Paraguay's domestic market plummeted nearly 50% compared to last year, falling from about 12,000 guaranis per kilogram to values around 6,000 guaranis. Producers from the departments of Canindeyú and San Pedro attribute the drastic drop to alleged massive smuggling of the grain from Brazil.
Farmers in the border region of Ypehú, Canindeyú, denounce that trucks loaded with Brazilian chia enter Paraguay and saturated local silo capacity, displacing national production and pushing prices downward. They state that, at the current value, they cannot cover production costs and risk closing the harvest with significant losses.
Officials from the National Directorate of Tax Revenue (DNIT) deny the existence of smuggling in the region, explaining that they inspect truck documentation and that the goods present invoices in order. However, they acknowledge that the procedure does not allow them to verify with certainty whether the chia was actually grown in Paraguay or previously entered from Brazil.
Meanwhile, data from the Paraguayan Chamber of Sesame Exporters (Capexse) show that chia exports between January and July 2026 grew 12% in volume and 41% in value compared to the same period the previous year, totaling 36,499 tons and $106 million. The average export price rose to $2,911 per ton, compared to $2,311 the previous year.
The discrepancy between the price crisis in the domestic market and the positive performance of exports has led producers to demand stricter investigations into the origin of chia traded domestically and effective measures to combat smuggling. They warn that, without an immediate response, many farmers may abandon chia cultivation in the next harvests.