Bioceanic corridor and waterway as central tools for the industrial and logistical development of the country

Asuncion, IP Agency.- During the 2024 Meeting of Protagonists, the Minister of Industry and Commerce (MIC), Javier Giménez, pointed out that the Bioceanic Road Corridor and the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway projects are initiatives that will promote Paraguay as a regional hub for logistics and energy integration.

The event, which was organized by Todo Logística, took place at Conmebol and was attended by the Vice Minister of Industry, Lorena Méndez, as well as representatives and authorities from the public and private sectors, who discussed the country’s energy and logistics situation, its progress and challenges.

Minister Giménez gave his presentation virtually, where he highlighted the importance of the Bioceanic Corridor, which covers six regions, seven border crossings, four Pacific ports and will represent a saving of 8,000 kilometers of navigation.

He mentioned the proposal for an energy project promoted by the Government, which consists of the creation of a 1,050 km gas pipeline along the Bioceanic Corridor to transport gas from Argentina to Brazil, with a 530 km passage through Paraguayan territory.

Improving logistics

Another of the key projects mentioned by Giménez was the improvement of the waterway, where 13 critical stone steps identified in the Paraguay River will be solved, a project that will drastically reduce times, which will in turn allow the load capacity to be tripled, going from 15 to 50 million tons per year.

“This will have an unprecedented impact on Paraguay,” said the minister, highlighting the potential creation of jobs in barge construction and the strengthening of the logistics sector.

70% of the country’s foreign trade volume is carried out through the waterway, moving around 22 million tons at present. In addition, it generates 9,800 direct jobs and 16,000 indirect jobs.

Paraguay’s impact on regional integration

In turn, the Vice Minister of Industry, Lorena Méndez, spoke about “Logistics and connectivity: The impact of Paraguay on regional integration”, where she presented the country’s foreign trade figures and the initiatives promoted by the Government of Paraguay, such as the National Logistics Plan, the bioceanic corridor, the use of Paraguayan energy and its exploitation, attracting investments and, finally, the challenges facing our country, such as strengthening the energy distribution network and diversifying the electrical matrix.