By Ana Mano
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Officials at the port of Paranaguá have downplayed concerns related to the shipment of Brazilian soybeans because of problems on the BR-277, the main access road to the port.
In a statement this Wednesday, the port authority also denied that there is a growing queue of ships waiting to load soy, even amid reports of truck drivers facing total or partial roadblocks during Brazil’s rainy summer.
A grain trader said that some ships are waiting up to 35 days to load cargo in Paranaguá, at a time when the soybean harvest is in full swing. The increase in average shipping time from Paranaguá is driving ship appointments to Santos, an analyst said.
On March 8, the government of Paraná urged the Ministry of Transport to repair the highway after a fissure briefly blocked two-way traffic at KM 33.
In a note, the State said that “the alert… is a concern in view of the need to dispose of the largest crop in history, estimated at 20.89 million tons of soy” in Paraná alone.
At this time, producers still harvest soybeans in several states of the country. Brazil should export around 14 million tons of oilseeds in March, according to estimates by the National Association of Cereal Exporters (Anec).
In the first two months of 2023, soy exports via Paranaguá fell 50% to around 900,000 tonnes, the port authority said, blaming excessive rainfall and harvest delays for the drop.
Currently, 56 ships are waiting at sea to approach the port, while 100 vessels are expected to arrive by April 24 to load or unload various types of cargo, the official said.
“Not all ships waiting offshore are ready to dock in the ports of Paraná,” said Director of Operations Gabriel Vieira, in the port authority’s communiqué. “A ship can be in port just to ensure positioning, by arrival, for strategic market issues”.
According to Vieira, all vessels “with a complete check-list are docking and loading without any delay”.
(Reporting by Ana Mano)