Gov’t approves measures to speed up wheat customs clearance at Santos Port

A decision published in Brazil’s Official Gazette by Customs on September 20th, along with efficiency measures promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), promises to improve the efficiency in processes related to Mercosur wheat shipments at the Port of Santos.

The ruling entails two key changes in the landing operations of wheat at the port, designed to expedite customs clearance for wheat, which historically faced delays due to bureaucratic processes. The change reduces the maximum time for customs authorization of direct wheat unloading by the Federal Revenue from 48 to 6 hours. This eliminates the need for grain storage in customs-approved silos, directing the grain to its final destination immediately after Revenue clearance.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock was committed to reviewing and expediting phytosanitary control processes, contributing to procedure optimization.

The coordinated action between MAPA and Customs, alongside implementing an efficient clearance request system, aims to decongest the Port of Santos, avoiding additional costs due to vessel waiting (demurrage) and grain handling.

“The bureaucratic part of releasing wheat shipments received at the Port of Santos was a major bottleneck for the national milling sector, given that the time the grain waited at the port generated high costs, which, in a scenario like the one experienced by wheat in recent years, made the activity unviable, directly affecting the prices charged to consumers in derived products, such as bread and pasta,” says Rubens Barbosa, the Executive President of the Brazilian Association of Wheat Industries (Abitrigo).

According to Abitrigo’s estimates, the Port of Santos handles the largest wheat inflow from Mercosur in Brazil, importing approximately 1.2 million tonnes annually.

See the volume of wheat imports that arrived at the Port of Santos between Jan 2020 and Aug 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Wheat imports at Port of Santos | Jan 2020 – Aug 2023 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

“Because of the increase in the movement of other products such as soybeans, corn, and sugar, we have lost space for wheat in recent years, recording a reduction of approximately 81,000 tonnes in customs silos alone in 2022, in addition to losing a quay. The wheat sector gains more space due to this new decision, and the port can operate more smoothly,” explains Barbosa.

The sector celebrated the decision, as the ruling was drafted in collaboration between the Federal Revenue, MAPA, Abitrigo, and the Union of Wheat Industry of São Paulo (Sindustrigo), highlighting a successful partnership between the involved entities.

Source: Agrolink

To read the original news text, please visit: https://www.agrolink.com.br/noticias/porto-de-santos-recebe-medidas-para-agilizar-importacao-de-trigo_48477

Sharing is caring!