The soybean harvest in the Paraguayan Chaco has once again demonstrated the region's productive potential, with yields approaching those recorded in the Eastern Region. According to the consulting firm StoneX, average productivity in the Western Region reached 2.4 tonnes per hectare, with some plots hitting 4 tonnes per hectare — a milestone for the Chaco zone, historically regarded as less productive.
Larissa Barboza Álvarez, senior analyst at StoneX, attributed the strong performance to rainfall behavior during the growing season, which favored yields at the start of the harvest. The Eastern Region, for its part, recorded an average of just over 3 tonnes per hectare, with plots reaching up to 6 tonnes per hectare, which, according to the analyst, indicates there is still room to systematically boost productivity in the country's main agricultural region.
Harvesting in the Chaco is on average 60% complete, with the department of Boquerón leading the way. Operations are expected to conclude by mid-June, officially closing Paraguay's soybean season.
Barboza noted that Chaco soils are naturally fertile and, in some cases, require no fertilization. The main challenge remains irregular rainfall, though some producers are already weighing the possibility of planting spring soybean under irrigation systems.
The area planted in the Chaco rose from 150,000 to nearly 157,000 hectares, and expected output climbed from 331,000 to 376,000 tonnes. Combining both regions, the main harvest reaches 10.94 million tonnes. Including a second-crop harvest (known locally as zafriña) of 1.40 million tonnes, Paraguay's total soybean production for the 2025-26 cycle stands at 12.34 million tonnes.