From January to May 2022, the volume of bulk corn exported by the Port of Paranaguá increased 161% compared to the same period last year. 1,546,247 tons of the product were shipped in the first five months of 2022 and 591,538 tons in the previous year – an increase of 954,709 tons.
Specifically in the last two months, the exported volumes stand out for exceeding 500 thousand tons. In April, in bulk, 537,841 tons were shipped through the Port of Paranaguá. In May, 504,286 tons. In 2021, in the same months, there was no shipment of the product in bulk.
In the fields of the State, the second corn crop – also called Safrinha – is already starting to be harvested. “The need to empty the silos and warehouses to make room for the new crop would explain the increase in the flow of the product”, comments the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.
He points out that part of the product that integrates the volumes shipped so far are not yet from Safrinha, which is entering the harvest. “This is not yet second-crop corn. Part is from the first crop of this year, part is still from the 2021 Safrinha, which was still stored, for market reasons”, says Garcia.
FACTORS – The need for more space to receive the new crop is not the only explanation for the increase. According to maize operators in the Port of Paranaguá, the war in Ukraine also boosted shipments a lot. Especially in the last three months.
“Brazil is not a major exporter of the product in this window, that is, summer corn. Ukraine, in turn, is usually a major supplier of corn in this period through the Black Sea, mainly to Africa and Europe”, explains Helder Catarino, general manager of Interalli, the main operator of the product through the Paraná terminal.
With the conflict, the country cannot board there. Thus, countries have to look for corn in other origins, including Brazil, through the ports of Paraná. “Brazil entered because it still had stocks, with good price margins. In other words, there was demand and supply”, says Catarino.
Paraná, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul are the main origins of the corn shipped through the ports of Paraná. Egypt, Iran, Spain, South Korea and Portugal are the main destination countries for the product exported by Paranaguá.
The forecast is that the State will produce a record volume of 16 million tons in this off-season. “Added to the little more than 2.9 million tons of the first harvest, the State will be responsible for almost 19 million tons, remaining in the second national position”, according to the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Supply.
The new corn crop – Safrinha 2022 – started arriving at the port, for export, starting this month. “First it arrives from Mato Grosso, then from Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and other producing states. The expectation is also very positive for the coming months”, comments the operator.
Source: Portos do Paraná
