Rice exported through Rio Grande Port reach markets in Europe and South America

Rio Grande do Sul is responsible for 70% of Brazil’s national rice production, with a significant portion of this output reaching international markets via the Port of Rio Grande. In 2023, the port enabled the export of 1,492,964 tons of rice in various forms, including paddy rice, unhusked, and broken rice.

The type of rice exported depends on the specific needs of each destination market, and the Port of Rio Grande is equipped to handle and cater to all these requirements. Throughout 2023, rice produced in Rio Grande do Sul was shipped to multiple countries, including Mexico (309,546 tonnes), Senegal (223,689 tonnes), Costa Rica (217,683 tonnes), Venezuela (187,428 tonnes), and Peru (117,602 tonnes).

The public port exported the most rice in 2023 (1,167,473 tonnes). Other major contributors were the Container Terminal (Tecon) with 211,137 tonnes, the multipurpose pier at Estaleiro Rio Grande (ERG) with 62,383 tonnes, the Bianchini terminal with 40,564 tonnes, and the Tergrasa terminal with 11,406 tonnes.

In the first half of 2024, shipping operations reached 460,107 tonnes of rice, with the Port of Rio Grande processing 361,596 tonnes. An additional 98,511 tonnes passed through Tecon Rio Grande.

According to the Riograndense Rice Institute (IRGA), 900,203 hectares of irrigated rice were sown in the 2023/2024 harvest in Rio Grande do Sul, compared to 839,972 hectares in the 2022/2023 harvest.

The rice destined for export through the Port of Rio Grande is stored in suitable facilities within the port complex, including Tergrasa and the Terminal Logístico do Arroz (TLA). The latter occupies the site where the silos of the now-extinct Companhia Estadual de Silos e Armazéns (CESA) were located. AC Vita operates the site under a transition agreement.

AC Vita also won an auction held by the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ) in December last year. Following the signing of the contract by Portos RS and the Ministry of Ports and Airports, the company is awaiting the Interim Acceptance Term to commence the new lease, which will last for a maximum, non-extendable period of ten years.

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