Paraguay: Firms used 63% of capacity as production surged in first quarter

With a total processing volume of 585,290 heads, the average industrial capacity of the enterprises was 63%, although there were fluctuations in different months.

According to the report, capacity utilization in January was 64% with a total cattle population of 206,422 heads, in February - 75% with 215,302 heads of cattle and in March - 50% with 163,566 heads.

The sector that used the most processing capacity during the first three months of the year was Frigorífico Neuland, with a rate of 70%, followed by Frigochaco, with a rate of 65%, Minerva Foods (with three operating units) and FrigoChorti, with a rate of 64%.

Meanwhile, in March, Minerva Foods and Frigochaco had the highest capacity utilization at 57%, followed by Frigorífico Neuland with 56% and Frigorífico Victoria with 52%.

In March, cattle slaughter reached 163,566 HEAD, down 24.1% from the 215,302 head recorded in February. According to the report, industrial processing capacity in March fell by 25% compared to February, from 75% to 50%. However, the March figure was 13% below the average for the first three months of the year.