Paraguay’s exports of chia seeds reached 84.3 thousand tons in 2025, up from 69.8 thousand tons in 2024. This is a remarkable achievement, as the weather conditions in 2025 were harsh. Towards the end of the growing season, rain and frost had severely damaged the crop. When in July last year the crop started coming in, observers noticed many brown and empty seeds and much smaller yield than usual. At the time, such reports led prices to shoot up, and some exporters defaulted on their contracts. This sentiment was still prevalent during the Anuga trade fair in October, where chia exporters and importers met and compared notes.
Let’s look more closely at some statistics about chia exports, obtained from ITC Trademap database. The record quantity of 84.3 thousand tons was paired with a record export value of US$ 218 million. Both quantity and value have shown very strong growth since 2021, with exports of 27 thousand tons worth US$63.5 million.
Paraguay exports of chia seeds, 2021-2025, by quantity and value