The Paraguay River, one of South America’s main waterways, reached its lowest level in history this week in Asunción, amid extreme drought at its source in the Brazilian Pantanal and forecasts predicting more difficulties for river traffic in the coming months.
The dry weather has affected the transport of grains over the last year along the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, a river corridor of more than 3,400 kilometers, which is key for exports and which runs through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The level of the Paraguay River in Asuncion, measured against a “zero” index on the riverbed, stood at -0.82 meters on Saturday, exceeding the previous record low in October 2021, according to data from the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology. The agency expects the river to continue to fall.
Argentina’s Parana River is also near annual lows around the port hub of Rosario. The Paraguay and Parana rivers rise in Brazil and flow into the sea near Buenos Aires and are important routes for transporting soybeans, corn and other products.
“In the northern section (of the waterway), navigation is practically interrupted due to extreme low water conditions,” the Paraguayan Chamber of Oilseed and Cereal Processors (CAPPRO) told Reuters, whose associated companies channel nearly 60% of the soybeans harvested in the country.
According to CAPPRO, 82% of Paraguayan trade is linked to the waterway and, especially for agribusiness, the route is considered vital to reach more than 52 global destinations.
“The vessels had to transport volumes below the average loading capacity (…) delays were generated and travel times were extended,” he added.
The impact on soybeans was less than in other sectors because the processing cycle is ending, but the outlook for the coming months is not encouraging, said the chamber, which has ADM, Bunge, Cargill and LDC, among others, as members. Paraguay is the world’s third largest exporter of the oilseed.
Expected rains are not enough
Jorge Sanchez, head of hydrology at Paraguay’s Meteorological Directorate, said rain forecasts are not good, even for the seasonal October rainfall season. “It would ease the river level but it is not expected to be enough,” he told Reuters.
Less rainfall is expected in the second half of the year due to the meteorological phenomenon of La Niñawhich brings drier and colder conditions to Paraguay and Argentina, although it usually heralds wetter weather further north in Brazil.
This year, however, La Niña was delayed and its effects will only be seen between October and November, Sanchez said. “There is a lot of variability due to climate change,” he added.
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