Increase in container freight prices cause companies to choose breakbulk

This week, a new batch of 6,180 tons of cornmeal is being shipped through the Port of Paranaguá. There are 247,200 sacks weighing 25 kilos each, which are destined for the Port of Matadi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is the second cornmeal shipping operation in breakbulk mode.

According to the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia, food products such as cornmeal are generally exported in containers from Paranaguá. “Therefore, it draws attention when boarding is carried out in this other mode. Last year, at the end of March, we made the first cornmeal shipment, and it seems that a new market has opened up”, he says.

Operation

The company responsible for loading at the Port of Paranaguá is Marcon. According to the commercial director, Patrick Ferreira Tavares, the cornmeal shipped came from Rio Verde (Goiás) and Apucarana (Paraná).

“The previous operation in 2020 opened a market not only for cornmeal in the form of breakbulk but also for the shipment of other food products that are usually exported in containers, such as beans in sacks, for example, about which we have already been consulted”, said Tavares.

According to him, the effects of the pandemic on the price of freight in containers for the shipment of these foods is what has made some exporters migrate to direct shipment in the hold of the ship. “The modality moves a huge infrastructure in the city and generates more jobs and income because it requires more manpower”, explains the director.

In addition to the cornmeal, the Sun Aquamarine vessel will also carry 22,800 tons of sugar – in 456,000 sacks of 50 kilograms each. The product originates in the state of São Paulo and goes to the same African importer.

In 2020, Marcon exported 8,000 containers loaded with beans through the Port of Paranaguá. From Fubá, the company shipped 2,316 units in 2020, and 78 already this year. “We continue to export cornmeal and other food products in sacks, in containers. In the case of corn flour, it is a product that is handled every month, all year round”, concludes Patrick.

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