Paraguay’s soybean crush rises to highest level in eight years

Paraguay’s soybean crush increased by 12% year-on-year in the first half of 2026 to 1.85 mln tons. According to the Paraguayan Chamber of Oilseed and Cereal Processors (Cappro), the last time the country recorded a higher January-June processing volume was in 2018.

The increase in crushing was accompanied by higher revenues from exports of value-added products. In January-June, exports of soybean oil, meal and hulls generated $709.63 mln for Paraguay, up 21% from the same period in 2025.

In June alone, processors crushed 367 thsd tons of soybeans, around 59 thsd tons more than a year earlier. Utilization of installed soybean processing capacity reached 78% at the end of the first half of the year, up another 3% from the previous record set in May.

Growth in the processing industry is also supporting related sectors that use soybean oil, meal and other products as raw materials, including animal feed, food manufacturing and biofuel production. Cappro expects the strong pace of processing to continue in the second half of the year, allowing the industry to make greater use of existing capacity.

Global soybean oil market conditions also remain favorable for Paraguay. Export volumes increased by 4% year-on-year, while export revenues jumped 22% due to higher prices. This provides additional incentives to expand domestic processing rather than export unprocessed soybeans.

Tags: crush, soybean, Paraguay