Bulk terminal at Paranaguá Port grew 20% in 2019 driven by corn exports

Interalli Grãos, the Interalli Group`s bulk terminal at the Port of Paranaguá, grew 20% in 2019 compared to 2018. The highlight of the year was corn exports, which rose sharply, from 350,000 tons in 2018 to 1.35 million in 2019.

“To give you an idea, 25% of all corn handled at the port passed through the Interalli Grãos terminal”, informs the director of the Interalli Group, Fabrício Slaviero Fumagalli. The Port of Paranaguá is the second main exporter of corn in Brazil, after the Port of Santos.

According to Interalli Grãos Terminal manager, Helder Catarino, in 2019 growth was boosted by the vision they had to seize an opportunity. “We saw that there was a large stock of fresh corn from 2018 to 2019, and consistent demand for Brazilian corn, especially from Iran, and so we anticipated and stimulated this market”, he explains. “Providing logistical conditions for one or two trading companies, others ended up coming together, taking advantage of the good margins of this business opportunity. We were the stimulus for the strong corn exports in the first half, which is not common in the Export Corridor of the Port of Paranaguá ”.  Growth in corn exports reached 450% in relation to the previous year.

Expectations for 2020 – In 2020, the prospects are also positive, but, according to Catarino, a more “traditional” year is expected. “I see a more traditional year in exports. First semester focused on soybean exports and a second semester exporting the latest soybean contracts and the volumes of the off-season corn, which promise, even if smaller than 2019, to present very important and representative numbers for the total movement of the Port of Paranaguá “, he stated.

“Our growth forecast is 10%, above 2019. We expect to handle 2.3 million tons of soy and corn combined, with a higher volume of soy”. At Interalli Grãos, the volume of soybeans should represent 70% of the total this year, according to forecasts.

Record handling – The Export Corridor of the Port of Paranaguá closed 2019 with a record in the handling of solid bulk. More than 20.23 million tons of soy and corn were exported, in grain and bran. The volume achieved exceeds 2018 levels by almost 2.4% at 19.76 million tons.

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