RATIN

Brazil drought dries river and stops shipping on key grains corridor

Posted on September, 27, 2024 at 10:22 am


A widespread drought in Brazil has halted the transport of grains through the Madeira river, an important northern waterway linking key croplands with the country’s ports, regional port terminals association Amport said on Wednesday.

The Madeira river is a key corridor for shipping products from Rondonia state and parts of Mato Grosso state, Brazil’s top soy producer, to export terminals located in the country’s northern states.

 

“Grain transportation in the Madeira is currently halted as river’s depth in critical points is around two meters (6.6 ft), making navigation commercially unfeasible,” Amport President Flavio Acatauassu told Reuters.

Some 34% of Brazilian soy exports in 2023, and almost 43% of corn exports were shipped through the so-called North Arc region, which includes ports located in northern Brazil, according to data from the national crop agency Conab.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of soy, and one of the largest corn exporters.

Source: Successful Farming