Wofco Starts Shrimp Processing at Paraguay Export Plant
Spanish seafood group Wofco has begun processing trials at its new shrimp plant in Hohenau, Paraguay, moving a long-planned export project into operation after earlier commissioning targets slipped.
The plant is designed to process Argentine shrimp in Paraguay before the product enters markets led by the United States, with Canada and Europe also identified as destinations. The cross-border model links catches and primary handling in Patagonia with lower-cost industrial processing, cold storage and export logistics from Paraguay.
What started in November
A 4 November report based on information from the company says South Atlantic Company, Wofco's Paraguayan operating vehicle, has started production tests and is targeting full operating capacity during November. The current target is 18 to 20 tonnes of shrimp per day across approximately 10,000 square metres of processing space.
This is an operational milestone, not merely another announcement of the project. Earlier public descriptions had expected the factory to open months sooner. The November trials therefore provide the first current evidence that equipment and workflows are being used, although trial output should not be treated as sustained commercial throughput.
The official design was higher than the initial operating target
Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce described the project as a US$35 million investment with design capacity of 24 tonnes per day. The new 18-to-20-tonne target equals 75% to 83% of that earlier stated design capacity.
That gap is not necessarily a shortfall. New food plants normally ramp through testing, customer qualification and process stabilization before sustained nameplate output. But it is important to distinguish the engineering figure from the rate the operator currently expects to handle.
The investment figure also requires care. The current Spanish report describes roughly €35 million, while the Paraguayan ministry previously reported US$35 million. The currencies are not interchangeable, and neither source provides a reconciled final capital account. Agrilinkage therefore treats US$35 million as the earlier official estimate rather than a verified final cost.
Employment expectations have narrowed
The operating company now expects close to 400 jobs. Earlier official projections varied: the industry ministry referred to more than 500 jobs, while a Paraguayan government news report later cited potential for as many as 600 direct positions.
The difference may reflect phased hiring, revised production plans or the distinction between peak and steady employment. Without a final payroll disclosure, 400 is the most current company-linked figure and the higher numbers remain earlier projections, not verified jobs already created.
Why process Argentine shrimp in Paraguay
Wofco's model separates the place of capture from the place of industrial processing. Shrimp is sourced from Argentine waters and handled through Rawson, then moved inland to Hohenau for processing, packing and storage before export.
That route adds logistics and cold-chain complexity, but it can give the group tighter control over tracing, grading, packaging and customer specifications. Paraguay's maquila regime, industrial land and electricity costs were central to the government's original case for the investment.
The country's export-promotion agency said the plant was intended to export all output to destinations including the United States, Canada, Europe and China. The latest company-linked account identifies the United States as the principal target, which makes market access, sanitary approvals and refrigerated logistics as important as factory throughput.
A new anchor for Hohenau's industrial park
South Atlantic is the anchor tenant at the Pradera Alta industrial park. That gives the project local significance beyond seafood: it is expected to test whether Hohenau can support large export factories with adequate power, roads, cold storage and customs handling.
Paraguay's environmental registry lists the South Atlantic seafood-processing project in Hohenau. The registry confirms the project identity and location, but its public page does not provide current production results.
What to watch next
The next meaningful evidence will be sustained daily output, export clearances, first customer shipments and verified employment. At 20 tonnes a day, every additional operating day matters more than the nominal design figure; downtime, product mix and yield will determine annual saleable volume.
For Wofco, the plant extends control from sourcing toward final packing and distribution. For Paraguay, it is a test of whether the country can become a processing platform for seafood harvested elsewhere. The November start is real progress, but full commercial performance has not yet been demonstrated.
Sources and methodology
Agrilinkage compared the current company-linked operating report with earlier disclosures from Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, export-promotion agency and environmental registry. The capacity percentage is calculated from the disclosed 18-to-20-tonne operating target and the earlier 24-tonne daily design figure.
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