A rentabilidade dos produtores de soja no Paraguai: concentração e exclusão

Abstract

Currently, soybean cultivation requires producers to have astute technological, managerial, financial and productive knowledge, especially because it is a standardized product, with an internationally defined price, based on global trade and controlled by transnational companies. The interaction between yield by area, cost of production and selling price defines whether the producer will end the production cycle with a positive or negative balance. The objective of this paper is to analyze the return of soybean production in Paraguay between 2002/03 and 2018/19, noting the variations over the years and their effects on producers. This study uses a qualitative and quantitative approach, such as literature review, statistical data analysis, questionnaire application with 77 soybean producers and 8 former producers and interviews with representatives of 45 companies in the sector. The results show that there is a strong variation in the net profit margin of soybeans according to the harvest year and the producer profile, whose most evident effect is the exclusion of some producers and the concentration in those with larger area and productive efficiency.Keywords: soybean market; farmers; profitability; Paraguay.WESZ JUNIOR, Valdemar João. A rentabilidade dos produtores de soja no Paraguai: concentração e exclusão. Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura, v. 28, n. 1, p. 156-179, fev. 2020.Submitted on November 5, 2019.Accepted on January 6, 2020.