Paranaguá expects surge in fertilizer imports in the next three months

The frequency of fertilizer unloading operations in the ports of Paraná (Paranaguá + Antonina) went through a significant increase over the past two months. Between March and April, they rose by 10.32%, going from 755,763 tonnes to 833,795 tonnes. From April to May, there was a further increase of 4.36%, reaching a total of 870,186 tonnes. In the first five months of this year, the volume reached 3,924,395 tonnes, with the majority coming from Russia (20.4%), China (19.7%), Canada (18.6%), and the United States (8.8%).

This upward trend has evolved into a positive outlook for the segment in the next quarter. The fertilizer industry union Sindiadubos forecasts that the volume of fertilizers unloaded off vessels in Paranaguá by the end of the year will exceed 9 million tonnes.

“The ports of Paraná continue to be the main gateway for fertilizers in Brazil, accounting for 27% of all imports in the country,” says Gabriel Vieira, Director of Operations at Portos do Paraná. “We are fully prepared to meet the growing demand for these products. The port is currently working on optimizing ship programming, flow, weighbridges, and the overall system that is part of the fertilizer chain.”

Décio Gomes, executive manager at Sindiadubos, states that the industry is preparing to receive the highest level of imports in the coming months. From July to September last year, around 2.3 million tonnes of fertilizers were imported through the Port of Paranaguá. However, with almost 4 million tonnes already computed, the sector expects even greater import volumes in the third quarter.

“In the first five months of this year, the volume of Brazilian fertilizer imports was 17% lower than last year. This indicates room for further growth to meet the producers’ demand,” he says. “Although fertilizer prices already show an upward trend in the traditional markets, the exchange rate is still favorable for producers.”

The reduction in fertilizer imports is attributed to global imbalances, including trade restrictions on Belarus, one of the major global producers, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Additionally, there are also problems with production and purchases from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, India, and China, which may impact the market.

The Port of Paranaguá has demonstrated resilience in the face of the report supply fluctuations, with advantages such as efficient services, availability for dialogue, and one of the country’s largest industrial and storage parks. The static storage capacity of fertilizer products in the ports of Paraná exceeds 3 million tonnes.

At the Port of Paranaguá, fertilizers can be unloaded at three designated berths on the public harbor or any other available berth. Additionally, there are two berths serving the sector at the private pier (Fospar) and two other berths in Antonina.

Throughput

Cargo throughput at the ports of Paraná has been above average in 2023, with record-breaking marks in May: 6,125,887 tonnes of cargo, including imports and exports. The previous monthly record was set in May 2021, with 6,081,354 tonnes.

In the first five months of this year, Paraná-based ports have a recorded throughput of 25,220,449 tonnes, a 5% increase compared to the same period in 2022. In terms of exports alone, the 16,146,244 tonnes handled represented a 14% increase from the 14.215.619 tonnes seen in 2021

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