For the first time, the ports of so-called Brazil’s ‘Northern Arc,’ a group of ports on the country’s northern coast, handled more soybeans and corn than other regions of Brazil. In the first half of this year, the terminals up in the North region, plus Maranhão, were responsible for 51% of the movement of both grains. The data were presented by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) on the 15th. While 41.5 million tonnes of soybeans and corn passed through the country’s Northern Arc, the other ports registered movement of 40 million tonnes of commodities. The region’s participation in port transportation has increased year after year. In 2010, ports in the area were responsible for only 23% of soybeans and corn exported, compared to 77% in the other regions.
Source: Canal Rural/Datamar News