Approximately 110,000 trucks loaded with soybeans, bran and corn have already descended the mountain toward the port of Paranaguá in the first quarter of this year. Only in March, when the Brazilian grain crop began to be exported by the producers, 47,126 vehicles passed through the Port’s Sorting Courtyard, the second largest monthly average in history. In April, the movement increased. In the first half of the month alone, some 26,000 grain-loaded trucks arrived at the port, a record for the period.
The pace should be this until mid-August, as forecasts point to a new grain export record. In the midst of the collapse of the Argentine crop, demand for Brazilian soybeans is expected to increase. According to the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), 70 million tons should be traded with other countries – and much of this amount will go through Paranaguá.
“Our investments have improved the logistics of grain disposal. As a result, in addition to giving agility to the producers that already chose the port of Paranaguá to dispose of their productions, we attract new cargoes here, “says Lourenço Fregonese, director of port administration for Paranaguá and Antonina (Appa).
Last year, the Port of Paranaguá had already registered a record of cargo handling, with 51.5 million tons, and the highest volume of trucks in the Pátio de Triagem, with about 410 thousand vehicles. To meet this growing demand, investments were made in all stages of the logistics process. The Patio de Triagem received works of modernization of its ordinances and in its access road, that gave agility and safety to the drivers. At the other end of the grain discharge, four shiploaders were replaced, replacing equipment from the 1970s and increasing the shipment capacity of each system by 33%.