Bulk sugar exports increase by 352% in Paraná ports in March

The month of March saw a positive shift in sugar exports from Paraná ports. Bulk sugar movement reached 419.899 tons, representing a growth of 352% compared to the same month in 2023, with 93 thousand tons. The sale of sugar in bags also increased, from 18.004 tons in March 2023 to 70.220 tons in the same month this year (289%).

Paraná had a record sugarcane harvest in 2023, with 35,2 thousand tons, an increase of around 11% compared to the 31,7 thousand tons of the previous year, according to data from the Department of Rural Economy (Deral ). This movement helped to boost foreign trade, since producers from Paraná are the main exporters from Paranaguá.

The expressive numbers for the month follow a pattern since the beginning of the year. From January to March, increases were also recorded in the movement of sugar, both in bulk and in bags. In bulk, the increase was 167% (from 503.515 tons to 1.341.878 tons) and in bags, 96% (from 105.572 tons to 206.740 tons).

According to the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia, the change in world trade also helped to impact the result. “In addition to our investments in logistics, which allowed us to increase operational gains, global demands for the commodity increased. Our main destination, in 2023, was Algeria, this year it is India. Both have grown in demand and this impacts results”, he emphasized.

India was the second largest sugar producer in the world, but, due to problems with the natural phenomenon El Niño in the last harvest, the country is importing the commodity. The most populous nation on the planet is among the largest consumers of sugar and, since the end of 2023, has been restricting exports of the product. Brazil, with a good sugarcane harvest, is preparing for this new cycle.

“The attractiveness of sugar prices, due to the drop in Indian production and the need to also supply that market, led producers to believe more in sugarcane production and industries to direct more towards the sweetener”, pondered the Secretary of State of Agriculture and Supply, Norberto Ortigara. According to the Sugarcane Industry Union (Única), the production mix in Paraná went from 45% to 46% destined for sugar. 

For the Director of Operations at Portos do Paraná, Gabriel Vieira, the Port of Paranaguá is nationally relevant in relation to the commodity. “We are currently in second place in national sugar movement, behind only Santos. In the first three months of this year, we moved more than 1,5 million tons and we are optimistic about productivity in the coming months,” he added.