*Paraguay’s central bank (BCP) has released new figures which show that the country’s exports in 2023 totalled US$17.31bn, up 24.8% on 2022. According to the BCP, the increase is primarily explained by increased exports of soybean, rice, and soy flour. However, the BCP noted that exports of maquila goods were down 1.7% on 2022. The main export markets were Argentina (which accounted for 36.1% of the total), Brazil (25.3%), and Chile (9.7%). Imports in 2023 totalled US$15.68bn, up 3.1% on 2022. This leaves a trade surplus of US$1.63bn, compared to a deficit of US$1.34bn in 2022.
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