Invest in Paraguay

For serious agriculture, Paraguay definitely offers the best value land in the Southern Cone region.

The highest yielding developed farmland (typically producing soya or sugar cane), intensively operated and located close to processing plants, costs US$5,000 to US$10,000 per hectare.

Good cattle ranch land goes for about US$500 to US$2,500 per hectare, mainly depending on how far it is from transportation infrastructure.

This kind of agricultural land is good for semi-active investors who are looking for a high ROI and position for future development while keeping their capital safe.

Good management companies that will manage your land for you are available, and plenty of not-so-good management companies so trusted local advice is essential.

You can also simply rent your land out. Current rates of return are about 3% plus potential capital growth.

Virgin land of the type that you can actually do something with goes for US$200 to US$600 per hectare.

By “virgin land” we mean land that is covered by trees or scrub forests in the Chaco, with good soil fertility so it can be cleared and used for cattle ranching. This latter option is about as close to a passive investment as you can get, as it requires no maintenance nor further investment—you are just speculating on the land price increasing over time.

When buying this kind of land, you are looking for a favorable combination of climate, topography, soil fertility, and environmental viability of agriculture in the future.

Many people have a dream of living out in the middle of nowhere and running their own agricultural operation. In this case, what you need is a smallholding, or estancia, probably in the south of the country, not too far from the main road, offering investment in agriculture and a gentleman-farmer or wild-west lifestyle (your choice) combined.