Range and Livestock Characteristics of Paraguay

Abstract

Paraguay, located in the central part of South America, has an area of 157,000 square miles (40.7 million hectares). The country is divided into two geographic-physiographic areas: the eastern area with 40 percent of the land and relatively high precipitation; and the western or Chaco region with 60 percent of the land area and a semi-arid type climate. The economy of the country is based primarily on livestock and forest products. The efficiency of beef production in Paraguay is lower than in many other countries because improved management techniques are still being developed. The rangelands have a high potential for forage production, but many are overgrazed and subjected to improper burning. In general, the future of the ranching enterprise in Paraguay is bright. With added technical assistance and more and better trained Paraguayans, Paraguay has the potential of becoming a leading agricultural nation in South America./Paraguay, localizado en la parte central de America del Sur tiene una superficie de 400,000 kilometros cuadrados. El pais se divide en dos unidades geograficas-fisiograficas; (1) la Region Oriental, con una superficie que abarca el 40% de las tierras del pais, con topografia ondulada y buenas precipitaciones durante el año y (2) la Region Occidental, o Chaco, que ocupa el 60% de las tierras, con una topografia plana y un clima semiarido. La economia del pais esta basada en la agricultura, ganaderia y produccion forestal. La ganaderia, de la cual la explotacion de bovinos es la mas importante, posee el potencial necesario para una mayor expansion y desarrollo.