The waiting time to finish an unloading operation of fertilizers at the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina is now 60 days. In total, 22 vessels are waiting to dock, with more than 644 thousand tonnes of the products unable to enter the Brazilian market. Instead, the purchases of fertilizers made in anticipation increased the pace of imports arriving at the ports, which has been growing since the beginning of the year. In addition, the war in Ukraine impacted the world fertilizer market, adding up to the increase in waiting times, says Portos do Paraná, the state-owned company that manages the two terminals. According to Portos do Paraná, a little over 3 million tonnes of fertilizers were unloaded in the first quarter of this year, up 26% over the 2.4 million tonnes imported in the same period last year. In March, the volume imported by the port grew 20% and reached 867.9 thousand tonnes. The growth was even greater in February: 43% vis-a-vis the same period in 2021, totalling 1.3 million tonnes.
Sources: Canal Rural/Datamar News