Port of Santos Propels Brazil to Unprecedented Coffee Export Milestone

Brazil exported 46.4 million 60 kg bags of coffee between January and November, up 32.2% from 35.1 million last year. This volume exceeds the annual record set in 2020, at some 44.7 million coffee sacks on record. Out of this total, the Port of Santos holds a 67.6% share. Brazil’s Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) disclosed this information on Monday (9). The top destinations were the United States, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Japan.

Exports reached approximately 4.7 million sacks in November, up 5.4% vis-a-vis the same month in 2023 when 4.4 million sacks were shipped.

Ports

Between January and November this year, the Port of Santos exported 31.351 million sacks of coffee, accounting for 67.6% of Brazil’s total coffee exports. In the same period of 2023, the port handled 25.1 million sacks, representing 71.8% of the country’s total exports, which amounted to 35 million sacks.

Below are the Brazilian coffee exports through the Port of Santos starting from 2021. The data is from DataLiner:

Coffee exports through the Port of Santos | Jan 2021 – Oct 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The Port of Rio de Janeiro ranked second, with 13.084 million sacks exported, representing 28.2% of the total, followed by the Port of Vitória, which exported 473,300 sacks, or 1%.

The graph below provides an overview of Brazil’s container coffee bean exports. The information comes from DataLiner data by Datamar.

Brazilian Coffee Exports | Jan 2021 – Oct 2024 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Losses and Logistical Challenges

Despite the record exports, Cecafé reported that 1.7 million sacks (equivalent to 5,200 containers) were not shipped between January and October due to delays, frequent changes in ship schedules, and cargo rollovers. Of this total, 70.6% of the losses occurred at the Port of Santos. The group estimates that Brazil lost US$ 489.7 million (approximately R$ 2.8 billion) due to these logistical obstacles. Cecafé’s president, Márcio Ferreira, highlighted that, due to these problems, its members collected a loss of R$ 7 million in October. “This involves additional costs for storage, detention, pre-stacking, and gate anticipations. By the end of 2024, these costs have already reached R$ 30.4 million.”

Cecafé’s technical director, Eduardo Heron, emphasized the need to expand the capacity of port yards and berths and deepen the operating draft to accommodate larger vessels. “It is also crucial to invest in highways, railways, and waterways to diversify transportation modes, which will allow for a more dynamic cargo flow at ports,“ concluded Heron.

Source: A Tribuna

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