Chicken being imported from Paraguay to hit market 'soon': MOFA

Taipei, July 14 (CNA) The first shipment of chicken meat imported from Paraguay is expected to be offered to Taiwanese consumers soon, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Taipei, José Han (韓志正), director-general of MOFA's Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, cited reports that Paraguayan President Santiago Peña had sealed the first container of chicken bound for Taiwan.

The shipment "is expected to enter the domestic market soon," Han said.

Han was unable to provide any other details, however, such as whether the meat was being shipped by air or sea, the type of meat being shipped (whole chicken or specific parts), and whether or not the shipment has even left Paraguay.

Han was responding to a question about the progress made on poultry imports from Paraguay after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced during Peña's visit to Taiwan in early May that Taiwan would open its market to chicken from its sole diplomatic ally in South America.

In an Instagram post last Wednesday, Peña described the shipment of the first 150 metric tons of poultry meat to Taiwan as a historic moment.

"This achievement reflects our strong friendship and marks the opening of a market that we secured during my most recent official visit in May of this year," Peña wrote.

The shipment represents a further expansion of agricultural trade between Taiwan and Paraguay, with Taiwan already serving as a major market for Paraguayan beef offal and pork.

According to a 2025 annual report issued by Paraguay's National Service for Animal Health and Quality, Taiwan was the country's second-largest market for beef offal after Russia.

Taiwan imported 6,065 metric tons of Paraguayan beef offal worth US$20.71 million during the year, compared with US$34.25 million worth exported from Paraguay to Russia.

Taiwan was also Paraguay's largest pork export market by a wide margin, purchasing US$48.49 million worth of pork, or 87 percent of the country's total pork exports, in 2025.

Imports of Paraguayan chicken are expected to have only a limited impact on Taiwan's domestic market, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement in May.

Paraguay exports around 10,000 metric tons of chicken annually, a relatively small volume compared with Taiwan's annual chicken consumption of about 880,000 metric tons, the ministry said.