Paraguay is Ready to Ship its First Persimmons to Europe

The following is a translation of a news article published by La Nacion, one of Paraguay’s leading newspapers, on March 13th, 2023:
Read the original article in Spanish here.

This Wednesday, it is planned to start loading the first truck of persimmon, a fruit produced in the town of Santa María de Fe, in Santa Rosa, department of Misiones, which will be shipped to Spain and later to other parts of the European community.

This was confirmed by the person in charge of the logistics of the fruit production project in the country for export to the European market, Matías del Real, in contact with La Nación/Nación Media, after the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG).

“This Wednesday, we begin to load the fruit to ship it in a container, and it should arrive in Valencia in more or less 32 days and from there to the supermarkets. Eventually, we would also be sending to other places after this, but initially, this first batch goes to Spain ”, he expressed to this medium.

Regarding the amount of domestically produced persimmon to be exported to the old continent, Del Real pointed out that in this first shipment, some 20,000 kilos would go in a container and that the idea is to add at least 20 containers this year, which gives us an idea of a supply of at least 400,000 kilos of the fruit to the European market this year.

Already within the projections, they are adjusting that next year the export of Paraguayan persimmons will reach 100 containers, that is, 2,000,000 kilos to be distributed in the markets of the European community.

The persimmon is a tropical fruit that, depending on the variety, can be yellow, orange, or purple in color, with the characteristic of being very sweet. The three most consumed species originate from China, Japan and other Asian countries, and the United States.

But the fertile climate conditions and the competitive advantages of Paraguay conquered the team that promoted the production project in the country with the merger of 3 foreign business groups, which will now make the first shipment to Spain, according to the spokesperson.

The representative of the companies highlighted the support of national institutions such as the National Service for Quality and Plant Health (Senave) and the MAG team with the necessary assistance and the corresponding follow-up to finalize the project, which in a few days will leave for completion. destination.

At the same time, Del Real announced that they are working with another economic group on a project that also required a significant investment, which concentrates avocado production in the department of Cordillera, also to be destined for the Spanish market soon, he noted.