A shipment at the Port of Imbituba kicks off Brazil’s first canola export

The Port of Imbituba is welcoming the first major canola shipment that will depart Brazil. The 9,500 tonnes of the oleaginous grain are being loaded unto the vessel MP KAMSARMAX 1, moored at Pier 2, and should sail to the ports of Dammam, in Saudi Arabia and Jebel Ali, in the United Arab Emirates.

Canola is traditionally grown in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and its production is relatively small in Brazil, but it has been gaining ground in crop rotation schemes. According to Conab, the forecast is that the 2021/2022 harvest will total approximately 55 thousand tons, 70% higher than that of 2020/2021 (32.2 thousand t).

According to Comex Stat, the database that houses Brazilian foreign trade information, the last canola export occurred only in 2007. Thus, the shipment that will depart Imbituba can be considered as the first national canola export in a significant amount. The exporting company in charge of the task is Celena Alimentos, from Rio Grande do Sul. The company has been present in the national market for over 20 years and is now launching itself on the international level.

The pilot project is already seen as a success by Serra Morena, one of the participating companies in the joint venture Granéis Imbituba whose responsibility is to attract cargo. Mário Lopes, a partner at Serra Morena, explains that canola seeds impose a challenge in terms of manipulating it due to the grain’s small size. “Thus, in order to guarantee that we can ship this product while safeguarding the necessary safety and hygiene conditions, our prospects are to operate on the basis of monthly shipments between 30 and 40 thousand tons”, evaluates Lopes.

The MP KAMSARMAX 1 vessel is under the responsibility of the Simonsen maritime agency, while the port operator Granéis Imbituba will oversee the operation. In addition to canola, the ship also is receiving 9,900 tons of soy bran, totaling a volume of 19,400 tons.

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