Exports rise 28.8% in May, lifting cargo volumes at Paraná ports

Stronger exports helped Portos do Paraná handle 6.12 million tonnes of cargo in May, up 14.3% from 5.35 million tonnes in the same month of 2025. From January through May, total throughput reached 28.87 million tonnes, up 2.4% from 28.19 million tonnes a year earlier.

“This level of activity shows that Paraná’s ports are highly competitive and deliver strong results for the operators working here. That is why we continue to invest in infrastructure, modernization of our systems and workforce training. This is the only way to build increasingly smart and efficient logistics,” said Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná.

Exports through Paraná ports reached 4.04 million tonnes in May, about 900,000 tonnes more than in the same period last year, a 28.8% increase. Imports totaled 2.07 million tonnes, roughly 140,000 tonnes below the year-earlier level.

Soybeans drive growth

Soybeans were the main driver of foreign trade activity. Exports rose to 1.58 million tonnes in May 2026 from 831,800 tonnes in May 2025, a 91% increase. In the year to date, soybean exports are up 29%.

The Port of Paranaguá handled 14.2% of all Brazilian soybean exports, mainly to markets in Asia and the Middle East.

Soybean meal was another highlight in May. Export volumes rose 27% to 796,000 tonnes from 628,300 tonnes a year earlier.

Paranaguá is Brazil’s second-largest soybean meal export port, accounting for 26.5% of national exports in the first five months of the year, according to data from Comex Stat, the federal government’s foreign trade database, and Portos do Paraná’s Statistics Center.

Containers and animal proteins also rise

Containerized exports increased by about 30,000 tonnes in May, reaching 824,300 tonnes, up 4%.

A large share of that cargo consisted of frozen animal proteins. From January through the end of May, about 1.5 million tonnes of meat were shipped to markets including China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Japan.

Vegetable oil exports also increased, rising 53% in May and 40% in the year to date. Pulp exports were up 5% over the period.

Imports

On the import side, fertilizers, the main product unloaded at Paraná ports, totaled 825,000 tonnes in May, down 14% from the same month in 2025.

Containerized imports, the second-largest import segment at Paraná ports, rose 12% to 651,000 tonnes in May from 582,100 tonnes a year earlier.

Source: Portos do Paraná

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