Cargo throughput rises 11%, giving Paraná ports their best April on record

With more than 6 million tonnes handled, Portos do Paraná recorded the best April in its history, with throughput up 11% from April 2025. The data come from a report prepared by the statistics team at the public company’s Port Operations Department.

In April alone, export volumes rose 16.06% from the same month last year. Soybean shipments increased 43%, while vegetable oils rose 35% and oil products advanced 33%.

From January to April, soybeans continued to post strong growth, up 19%. Vegetable oils increased 33%, followed by containerized cargo exports, up 9%, and oil products, which rose 2% compared with the first four months of 2025.

Paranaguá maintains leading role in meat exports

Frozen chicken exports rose 10.5% from April 2025. Year to date, shipments through Paranaguá accounted for 47.5% of all Brazilian exports of the product, equivalent to more than 834,000 tonnes sent abroad.

Considering all animal proteins, exports grew 8.7% in April, with more than 1.1 million tonnes shipped, mainly to China, South Africa, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The volume represented 38% of all animal protein exports carried out by Brazil in the first four months of 2026.

Cargo diversification supports operational balance

Imports rose 2.7% in April from the same month in 2025. General cargo — handled outside containers — increased 254%. Wheat unloading grew 50%, followed by fertilizers, up 18%, and containers, up 14%.

In the first four months of the year, however, imports were down 5.8%. The result still points to a recovery from February and March, when cargo movements from abroad posted even lower levels. The drop in imports is directly related to the conflict in the Middle East.

Even so, the diversity of cargo handled by the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina ensured stability in the year-to-date balance, which reached 22.7 million tonnes, in line with the volume recorded in the same period of 2025.

Roll-on/roll-off cargo — including vehicles, machinery and agricultural equipment — also helped maintain operational balance. In April alone, more than 15,500 units were loaded or unloaded. From January to April, throughput totaled 42,657 units.

Source: Portos do Paraná

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