Paraguay
The MIC proposed expanding forest industrialization to boost employment and exports
Marco Riquelme said Paraguay can scale up its forestry industry with more local wood processing, formal job creation in the interior, and an export strategy with greater added value.
During the opening of the 6th edition of Expo Madera, Paraguay’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marco Riquelme, said the country has room to develop a larger-scale forestry industry, focused on creating formal, decentralized employment and on exporting processed products.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Paraguay, the official said the sector offers an alternative to turn low-yield livestock land into high-productivity forestry areas. In that context, he said the activity can generate between 80 and 100 jobs for every 1,000 hectares, with specialized positions in the interior of the country.
Riquelme linked that potential to one of industrial policy’s challenges: bringing manufacturing activity and jobs to different regions. According to the MIC, he warned that the lack of industries outside major centers contributes to rural exodus and reduces opportunities for labor market insertion.
Among the measures mentioned by the minister, the ministry highlighted the Competitive Intelligence Map, a digital tool with data on infrastructure, electricity, economically active population and industrial presence in the country’s districts, designed to improve competitiveness and facilitate investment in the interior.
Riquelme also stressed that the increase in forestry production must be accompanied by greater industrialization. According to the MIC, he said Paraguay must avoid limiting itself to exporting unprocessed logs and, instead, consolidate a chain capable of transforming wood and placing it in international markets.
In that line, he highlighted the growth of exports of wood with added value and considered that the sector is close to gaining weight within Paraguay’s export basket. To move forward, he proposed strengthening coordination between the public and private sectors and generating financing for the installation and expansion of industries linked to wood processing.
The minister added that Paraguay has nearly 400,000 hectares of forest plantations, a base that, in his assessment, can support new industrial investments. He also said the country has already advanced in the development of suppliers and services linked to the sector, as well as in knowledge of the conditions needed for forestry production.
Finally, the MIC said Riquelme proposed giving Paraguayan wood a strategic place in the promotion of investments and exports, with active participation from ambassadors and trade attachés. The official also reiterated the ministry’s commitment to support the sector in a stage of growth articulated between forests and industry.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
