The month of March saw a change in the movement of sugar in the ports of Paraná. Bulk sugar reached 419,899 tons handled, representing a growth of 352% compared to the same month in 2023, which registered 93 thousand tons.
Sugar in bags also increased from 18,004 tons in March 2023 to 70,220 tons in the same month this year (289%). According to Luiz Fernando Garcia, the CEO of Portos do Paraná, the expressive numbers in the month have followed a pattern since the beginning of the year.
“From January to March, we recorded an increase in the movement of sugar in bulk and bags. In addition to our investments in logistics, which allowed us to increase operational gains, global demands for the commodity also changed. Our main destination, in 2023, was Algeria, this year it is India. Both have grown in demand, impacting our results, ” emphasized Garcia.
According to economics expert Giovani Ferreira, India was the second largest sugar producer in the world, but due to problems with the natural phenomenon El Niño in the last harvest, the country is now importing the commodity. The most populous nation on the planet is among the largest consumers of sugar and has been restricting exports of the product since the end of 2023.
“India must, between 2023 and 2024, reduce the supply of sugar on the international market by 30% to 40%. And Brazil, with a relatively good sugarcane harvest, is preparing for a new cycle, with potential, a performance that can meet part of this demand that was from India, but is leaving the market, because there is no product ”, explained Ferreira.
For the operations director of Portos do Paraná, Gabriel Vieira, the Port of Paranaguá is nationally relevant to the commodity. “We are currently in second place in national sugar movement, behind only Santos. In the first three months of this year, we moved more than 1.5 million tons, and we are optimistic about productivity in the coming months,” highlighted Vieira.
Paraná is the largest producer of sugar in the ports of Paraná and had, in 2023, a record sugarcane harvest, with 35.2 thousand tons, an increase of around 11% compared to 31.7 thousand tons the previous year, according to data from the Department of Rural Economy (Deral) of the government of Paraná.
“The attractiveness of sugar prices, due to the drop in Indian production and the need to also supply that market, led producers to believe more in sugarcane production and industries to direct more towards the sweetener”, pondered the Secretary of State of Agriculture and Supply, Norberto Ortigara. According to the Sugarcane Industry Union (Única), the production mix in Paraná went from 45% to 46% destined for sugar.
Source: Portos do Paraná
