Coamo and Yara assess shared use of port terminal in Santa Catarina

Coamo Agroindustrial and Yara Brasil have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to study potential joint initiatives related to the port terminal the Paraná-based cooperative plans to build in Itapoá, Santa Catarina state.

Construction of the port terminal is set to begin in 2027, with operations expected to start in 2030. With estimated investment of 3 billion reais, the terminal will occupy 43 hectares and include three berths: one for solid bulk, one for liquid fuels and LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas, and one for fertilizers. The facility will have annual handling capacity of 9.3 million tonnes.

“Coamo is a strategic client for Yara Brasil. From the standpoint of logistics corridors, it plays an important role in our supply matrix. The terminal project has a great deal of synergy with our business,” Alessandro Riquetti, vice president of supply chain at Yara Brasil, told Valor.

According to the executive, Yara and Coamo are evaluating shared use of the port terminal, the cooperative’s truck fleet, and the possibility of using vessels arriving with fertilizers to export grains and soybean meal on the return leg. “That ends up reducing logistics costs,” he said.

He added that, during the harvest peak, the company sometimes has to pay for 30 to 40 extra days of product storage at port, at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000 per day, while waiting for vessel availability. “An additional terminal helps ease demand during that period,” he said.

Yara has not yet defined how much it may invest in the partnership. According to the executive, the amount will be determined later, once the business model is defined.

Airton Galinari, Coamo’s chief executive, told Valor that the cooperative is also studying partnerships with other groups for the fuel and LPG berth, but prefers to keep the names confidential while talks advance. Coamo plans to operate the bulk berth to ship grains, soybean meal and soybean oil.

Brazil’s largest agricultural cooperative, based in Campo Mourão, Paraná state, with 32,700 members, Coamo received 9.6 million tonnes of products in 2025, mainly soybeans, corn and wheat, representing 2.7% of Brazil’s grain production and 17% of Paraná’s output.

This year, the cooperative expects to receive 20% more soybeans than in 2025, reaching between 6 million and 6.3 million tonnes. It also expects to receive between 3.6 million and 3.8 million tonnes of corn, compared with 4 million tonnes in 2025.

Galinari said the cooperative and the Norwegian fertilizer producer will carry out joint studies to assess opportunities for operational efficiency gains, fertilizer flow optimization and supply-chain sustainability.

Coamo currently operates a fleet of just over 1,000 trucks. Yara, by contrast, uses outsourced trucking services. The goal is to create a logistics flow that allows Coamo to move grains, meal and oil to the port terminal for shipment, and bring fertilizers and limestone back to the cooperative on the return trip. “We are working to meet sustainability requirements and improve integration in the region,” Galinari said.

“Yara is evaluating this project as part of its strategy to strengthen our port position in the region, with a focus on better customer service and greater competitiveness,” added Marcelo Altieri, president of Yara Brasil.

In Brazil, Yara Brasil operates its own terminal at the port of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul state. At ten other ports, it contracts terminal capacity for imports. The company imports between 6 million and 7 million tonnes of raw materials and fertilizers per year.

According to Riquetti, the agreement with Coamo marks the company’s first partnership in Brazil to operate under a logistics condominium model.

Source: Valor Econômico

Sharing is caring!