The share of corn and soybean exports from Brazil’s northern ports grew from 15% in 2010 to 27% in 2017, and a Rabobank analyst says there’s plenty of room to expand. (Map courtesy of Rabobank)
Brazilian grain export facilities along the Amazon River are picking up a larger share of the country’s growing exports, and waterways are playing a larger role in carrying corn and soybeans to port.
Between 2010 and 2017, Brazilian exports of corn and soybeans increased by 145%, climbing to 97 million metric tons, the equivalent of nearly 3.6 billion bushels, according to a new report by Rabobank.
Over the past seven years, the share of exports from ports north of the 16th parallel — which Rabobank refers to as Northern Arc ports — grew from 15% to 27%, and there’s plenty of room to keep growing.
“I believe most of these ports are being underused compared to the total capacity,” Rabobank Grains and Oilseeds Analyst Victor Ikeda told DTN by telephone from Sao Paulo, Brazil. “Our production is getting closer to the northern ports, so our farm gate prices for the frontier are relatively higher in comparison to some traditional regions in the center west of Brazil.”