Imports at Parana ports rise 12% in 2021 whilst exports fall by same percentage

For the second consecutive month, imports outnumber exports through the ports of Paraná. In February, 1,946,654 tons of cargo entered Brazil through the terminals in Paraná, while 1,702,124 left the country. As a result, the first two months of 2021 recorded a 12% increase in purchases of foreign products and, at the same time, a 12% drop in sales of national products.

“In 2020, we had a very high volume of bulk shipments, mainly soybeans, at the beginning of the year. But in 2021 we had a delay in harvesting and the arrival of the product to the port, in addition to two months of heavy rain ”, says the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.

In the last two weeks of February, soybeans began to arrive in greater volume and the expectation is that shipments will continue at an intense pace throughout the year. Meanwhile, handling of imported bulk has grown. “We beat the 24-hours unloading record. There were almost 50,000 tons, between the 20th and the 21st, well above the daily average of 30,000 tons. There were seven ships unloading products simultaneously ”, says Garcia.

Bimonthly data

Altogether, there were 3,787,546 tons of cargo imported in the first two months of the year. Fertilizers alone amounted to almost 1.67 million tons. The volume is about 8% higher than the 1.55 million tons of fertilizers handled in the same period in 2020.

In addition to fertilizers, wheat, malt, barley, and salt are also imported as solid bulk from the ports of Paraná. Adding all the products in the segment, 1,847,850 tons were handled in the first two months of the year. The volume is about 4.4% higher than the 1,770,169 tons registered in January and February of last year.

The second segment that handled the most in 2021 was general cargo: 2,017,532 tons, in both trade directions. The volume represents an increase of 12% in relation to the 1,808,283 tons registered in the same period, in 2020.

The increase was also driven by imports. There were 855,599 tons of cargo unloaded- 20% more than the 715,670 tons imported in the first two months.

Of the 1,322,346 tons of liquid bulk handled in the first two months of the year, imports total 1,226,837 tons. In this sense, the segment recorded an increase of 35% in relation to last year (with 908,339 tons of imported liquids).

Adding up imports and exports, 1,140,785 tons of liquid bulk were handled by the Port of Paranaguá.

Exports

In exports, the highlights are in the increased volumes and percentages recorded in shipments of sugar, corn, and vegetable oils.

530,591 tons of sugar-  in bags (general cargo) and in bulk –   were exported in this first two months. Compared with the volume exported in the same period in 2020, this presents an increase of 127%. In the first two months last year, 233,457 tons of the product were sold.

Corn shipments increased by 99%. This year, 591,538 tons of the product were exported in bulk. In 2020, there were 297,802 tons exported.

142,349 tons of vegetable oils were exported in the first two months, 59% higher than the 89,293 tons registered last year for the same two months.

In the first two months of the year, 7,247,245 tons of cargo were handled by the Ports of Paraná.

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