Facility

Port of Paranaguá Soybean Export Terminal Complex (Paraná, Brazil)

The Port of Paranaguá (Antonina Bay, Paraná state, Brazil) is Brazil's primary soybean and soybean products export terminal, handling 40-45 million tonnes of agricultural commodities annually — making it the world's largest grain export port by volume for soybean and soybean meal combined. Paranaguá handles approximately 35-40% of Brazil's total soybean and meal exports. Major terminal operators include Bunge (Terminal Portuário da Bunge), Cargill (Corredor de Exportação Norte), Copacabana Terminais, and FOSPAR. The port has 33 berths with 11 dedicated to grain/oilseeds. Paranaguá's channel draft limits (14-15 meters) allow Capesize-equivalent vessels. The single-road/rail access corridor (BR-277 highway from Curitiba; RFFSA/ALL railway from interior) creates bottlenecks: during peak harvest (February-May), truck queues of 200-300 km form on BR-277, with drivers waiting 5-10 days. An estimated $500M-$1B in annual logistics costs are attributable to Paranaguá infrastructure inefficiency. Brazil has invested in port expansion (Ponta do Felix terminal at Antonina; Barão de Teffé terminal upgrades) but congestion persists annually at harvest. Source: ANTAQ (Brazilian waterway regulator) Port Statistics 2024; Bunge Annual Report 2024; USDA FAS Brazil Ports and Grain Logistics.