Paraguayan beef consumption expected to decline
Decline due to smaller beef output
26 December 2024
1 minute read
By: Despite a local economy expected to continue growing in 2025, domestic beef consumption for 2025 is forecast at 128,000 tons, lower than in 2024 because a smaller beef output, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.
Local meat packers take care of the domestic market as many times it is more profitable and less cumbersome to sell through their local distribution network than to export. The two large meat packing groups sell domestically roughly 20% of their production, while the other companies sell domestically between 30-50%.
Contacts indicate that roughly 70-80% of the beef sold in the domestic market is in supermarkets, with the balance in individual butcheries. The most popular beef cuts are ribs, bones with meat, ground beef and round cuts.
Poultry and pork are a growing alternative due to less expensive prices, but beef is most consumers’ first choice. Pork production in Paraguay is growing, focused primarily in the export market. However, contacts indicate that this will provide larger volumes of pork cuts which are not exported for the domestic market.
Although there are no official data, contacts estimate that in 2024, the per capita consumption of beef is 22 kilos, of poultry 20 kilos and pork 9 kilos. The latter is divided in 3 kilos fresh and the balance is processed pork products.
