Port of Paranaguá Detects 51 Trucks with “Adulterated” Soybean Meal Cargo

The Paraná port authority, which oversees operations at the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina in southern Brazil, reported that sand was detected in soybean meal shipments during an inspection, according to a statement sent to Reuters on the 28th.

“This means product adulteration,” the statement said.

The statement added that the Association of Export Corridor Terminals of Paranaguá (ATEXP), which is responsible for the inspection, alerted other regulatory agencies after detecting the issue.

The European Union is the primary destination for Brazilian soybean meal exports.

A port spokesperson could not immediately confirm the destination of the contaminated shipment but stated that 51 trucks carrying 2,200 tons of adulterated soybean meal had been identified.

The port declined to disclose the names of the exporter or exporters involved, citing data protection laws. It only confirmed that the trucks originated from the state of Mato Grosso.

The port stated that the Ministry of Agriculture will now assess whether the companies involved complied with administrative regulations, including proper disposal of the contaminated material.

This adulteration incident comes as China has halted shipments of Brazilian soybeans due to non-compliance issues in some cargoes.

The Port of Paranaguá implemented new cargo inspection control rules last year, the statement added, “to ensure maximum safety and quality of handled products.”

The public port authority emphasized that the cargo is the responsibility of the exporter and the terminal, not the port authority itself.

The port authority reported that more than 392,000 trucks were inspected in 2024, and nearly 9,000 were rejected for failing to meet minimum product quality standards or for fraudulent cargo.

The statement said these inspections covered various types of shipments passing through the port, including grains such as soybeans, corn, and soybean meal.

Source: Notícias Agrícolas

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