On November 13, our founder and president, Raúl Gauto, represented the forestry sector on the panel “The Drivers of Paraguay’s Economy for the Next Decade,” part of Paraguay Business Week 2026 at Centro TASK of the Itaipú Technology Park in Hernandarias, Alto Paraná.
The panel brought together four sectors with high growth potential: agribusiness, forestry, energy and mining. Each panelist presented their sector and explained why Paraguay offers investment opportunities for the years ahead.
A sector in full expansion
Paraguay has around 340,000 hectares of planted forests, 66% more than in 2022, and adds about 70,000 new hectares every year. In 2025, forestry exports exceeded USD 100 million for the first time, reaching USD 101.3 million, and in the first half of 2026, 99% of exported forest products carried added value. Paraguayan wood now reaches 32 countries, with the European Union as the largest buyer of eucalyptus products.
Why invest in Paraguay
Raúl outlined the conditions that set the country apart: eucalyptus growth of 25 to 45 m³ per hectare per year in the eastern region, forest land at USD 1,000 to 3,000 per hectare, a surface rights law that allows investors to own a plantation without owning the land, investment grade ratings from Moody’s and S&P, fully renewable hydroelectric power, and river access to Atlantic ports.
The qualities of Paraguayan eucalyptus
A central part of the talk focused on the wood itself. Paraguayan eucalyptus grows fast, resists water and offers high structural strength. It can be pressed into plywood and panels, nailed and painted. Tests in Japan also confirmed its natural resistance to termites, a result that is opening the door to its use in house construction in that market.
A long road ahead
Today only about 4% of the 8.08 million hectares with high or very high forestry aptitude is planted. The sector aims to reach 10% of GDP within the next 15 years, driven by pulp, value-added wood products and carbon markets.
For Forestal Sylvis, taking part in this conversation alongside leaders of the country’s main productive sectors confirms that forestry has earned its place among the engines of Paraguay’s economy.
