Paraguay's large meat processing plants monopolize the market causing high meat prices, with both producers and consumers "injured"

According to a report by Paraguay's ABC Color on the 22nd, Prieto stated that producers and final consumers, as the two ends of the industry chain, are suffering from structural distortions caused by monopolies. These distortions exert pressure on both producers and consumers, while the National Competition Commission (Conacom) has yet to take action in this regard. Prieto added that over the past few decades, the agricultural sector has been dedicated to providing healthy and high-quality meat, with the aspiration that every Paraguayan family, regardless of class, can access this food to ensure children's nutrition and healthy growth. Unlike in some countries, meat is not a luxury in Paraguay but an essential part of the residents' diet and identity. In Paraguay, residents eat meat on average five days a week. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the price increase of beef (including stewed meat) was lower than the overall inflation rate of the basic food basket. However, since the ...