During the Paraguay Invest 2026: Transformation, Trade and Productive Integration event, organized by the IDB and Rediex, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Marco Riquelme, outlined the Government's strategy to advance an "industrial revolution" that will diversify the Paraguayan economy, attract investment, and generate greater added value to national production.
During his speech, the Minister explained that Paraguay has highly competitive conditions to attract investment, including a predominantly young population, abundant energy at a competitive price, and a simple tax system.
Given this scenario, he explained that the Paraguayan government is promoting an “industrial revolution” as a strategy to connect global market opportunities with local productive capacity, generating economic development that reaches the entire population.
To achieve this, he indicated that it is necessary to incorporate technology, expand knowledge of international markets, and strengthen the training and development of the workforce, with the aim of attracting increasingly complex industries and generating better-paying jobs.
In that regard, he mentioned the approval of a Law for the Assembly of High Technology Goods, which will attract new industrial investments and generate a progressive transition from less complex activities to more sophisticated production processes.
He emphasized that, with this strategy, Paraguay seeks to increase the participation of industry in the Gross Domestic Product, which currently stands at around 19%, with the goal of approaching 35% in the coming years and consolidating itself as an industrial center for the region and the world.
Cooperativism
Minister Riquelme also emphasized that this transformation must extend to the agricultural sector, especially to small producers. To this end, he promotes cooperatives as a key tool to facilitate access to financing, technology, and knowledge of new markets.
As an example, he mentioned the case of the AgroNorte cooperative, where small farmers managed to transform their production by incorporating non-traditional crops destined for export. The head of the MIC pointed out that this type of initiative demonstrates the potential of combining technology, market access, and cooperative organization to transform the rural economy.
Strengthening MSMEs
Another key element of the industrial strategy is strengthening micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Therefore, the government is working on mechanisms to facilitate access to productive credit and enable these businesses to formalize their operations, invest in technology, and improve their productivity.
Source: Industry and commerce ministry