The exports of soyabeans, the flagship of Brazilian agribusiness, through the ports of Arco Norte – Itacoatiara (AM), São Luís, Itaqui and Ponta da Madeira (MA), Santarém and Barcarena (PA) and Aratu (BA) – gained relevance in the first three months of this year. According to data released by the National Association of Exporters of Cereals (Anec), shipments along these routes totaled 5.7 million tons, 31.8% more than in the first quarter of 2018 and about 30% of the total exported by the country in the period, which totaled 18.3 million tons, an increase of 2.8%. In the first quarter of last year, soya exports from Arco Norte accounted for 24% of the total. The numbers show that, despite a still bad road – the BR 163 -, the soyabean continues to rise to the north of Brazil in an expressive way. In the port of Vila do Conde, in Barcarena, exports from January to March totaled 1.5 million tons. In the same period last year, they were 1.3 million tons, and in the first quarter of 2017, 995.5K tons. They already operate at Bunge, Amaggi, Hidrovias do Brasil, ADM and Glencore, each with a terminal with capacity for about 5 million tons of grains per year. In Santarém, where Cargill operates, shipments of soyabeans totaled 1.3 million tons in the first three months of this year, compared to 994.5K in the same period of 2018. In the ports of Maranhão, the volume increased from 921.4K to 1.4 million tons. While the northern outlets are growing, the ports of Santos (SP) and Paranaguá (PR), which historically lead grain shipments in Brazil, remained practically stable in the first quarter. Together, they accounted for 55% of total sales (10 million tons), compared to 55.3% from January to March 2018 (9.8 million tons).
Source: Portos e Navios