São Paulo, January 23, 2017 – JBS Paraguay registered a 12% increase in fresh beef exports in 2016 compared with the previous year. During the year, the company also increased domestic sales by 2.5%. Domestic factors and positive conditions in the country helped achieve this result. Felipe Azarias, CEO of JBS Paraguay, said “initiatives at our plants have been increasing efficiency and productivity gains and the improving economy here has helped increase our sales volumes”. Last year, the company also registered its best operating results since 2009: Ebitda per head of cattle rose 30% compared with 2015.
Today, 85% of all JBS Paraguay output is for export mainly to the following destinations: Chile, Russia, Vietnam, Brazil, Israel, Germany, Holland, Iraq, Kuwait and other countries. “Paraguay has had an increasingly important role to play in the Mercosur economy because its significant and sustainable economic growth over the last decade. Additionally, monetary stability, the existence of consistent programs to attract investment, the abundant water and fertile land for agriculture and livestock breeding have made the country a major and strategic production platform for global food supply”, said Azarias.
The executive also explained that Paraguay has an advanced herd which is going to 11.5% over the past five years, in addition to which exports have risen significantly, creating a total environment to expand the company’s operations. “Capitalization of domestic growth has been a good opportunity for JBS and its businesses, because the strong Paraguay export platform is aligned with the company’s globalization strategy”, concluded Azarias.
JBS is in Paraguay with three beef processing units (Assunción, San António and Belén) and now employs around 1.4 thousand people at all plants. After opening the Belén meatpacking plant in October 2016, the company became Paraguay’s leading beef producer and increased its slaughter capacity by 87.5% to 3000 head of cattle a day.
About JBS
JBS, a company with over 60 years’ experience, is a food company that manages production platforms and commercial offices in over 20 countries. The company has over 230 thousand staff worldwide, exports to more than 150 countries and serves over 300 thousand active clients globally. JBS has a diverse product portfolio that includes dozens of brands that are known throughout the world. The company is also active in other sectors related to its core business, such as leather, biodiesel, collagen, soaps, glycerin and casings and owns waste management, metal packaging and shipping businesses that support its global operations.
JBS
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