Delays in Paraguay soybean barge transit affects crushers in Argentina

An accumulation of sediment in the Paraguay River on Tuesday delayed barges carrying Paraguayan soybeans to Rosario, Argentina, according to transportation and crushing chambers from both countries.

Argentina, the world's top exporter of soybean oil, relies on Paraguayan soybeans at this time of year, as the Paraguayan harvest has ended but Argentina's harvest begins this month.

The sediment buildup occurred in the Paraguay River at the mouth of the Bermejo River, near the Parana River, which is part of the route used by barges to reach Rosario.

Gustavo Idigoras, President of Argentina's grain exporters' chamber CIARA-CEC, said the delays had affected the flow of barges to Argentina.

Argentina's grain processing industry also purchases soybeans from Argentine producers, although the latter have withheld more beans than usual due to uncertainty regarding the exchange rate of their currency.

Raul Valdez, president of the Paraguayan Shipowners' Center (CAFyM), told Reuters the delays also impacted iron ore exports to Brazil.

Valdez also noted that conditions on the river had improved in recent days, due to rising river levels and dredging.

Paraguay's soybean exports dropped 14.2 per cent in the first two months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.

(Daniela Desantis in Asuncion and Maximilian Heath in Buenos Aires; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)