Post-harvest challenges are highlighted at the Soybean Meeting.

Monitoring and control of quarantine pests, challenges faced by storage units, and logistics issues permeated the discussions in the panel on post-harvest soybean handling, held today (June 11) during the Soybean Research Meeting in Londrina (PR). 

Fátima Parizzi, representing the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove) and the National Association of Cereal Exporters (Anec), emphasizes that actions are being developed to meet the phytosanitary requirements of China, the main destination for Brazilian soybean and corn exports. 

Fátima says that among the main measures adopted are the development of pest identification manuals, raising awareness among agents in the production chain, and reinforcing care at all stages of the process, from grain sampling and classification to cargo shipment. "The goal is to ensure that exported products meet the phytosanitary requirements demanded by international markets, avoiding problems and rejections at destination ports," she points out.

Although China has an extensive list of quarantine pests, the focus is on the 11 species officially recognized by China that are present in Brazil. "Controlling these pests should begin at planting, with proper management throughout the crop cycle, reducing infestation and impacts on crop productivity," he assesses. 

The speaker also states that there is an action plan focused on monitoring and controlling quarantine pests present in Brazilian crops, and that adjustments are being finalized to a proposal to be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture to support negotiations with China on operational procedures and tolerance criteria for the presence of pests in exported batches. "One of the most important advances is the mobilization of the entire production chain around this issue, to strengthen negotiations and ensure greater security for Brazilian exports," emphasizes Fátima.

Phytosanitary actions in storage units 

José Ronaldo Quirino, representative of Caramuru Alimentos, provides an overview of the reality faced by storage facilities and highlights the controls adopted from grain reception to shipment, with the aim of preventing cargo returns and meeting the demands of international markets.

 According to Quirino, the first screening occurs at the product entry point, where the cargo is identified and the risks associated with the presence of quarantine seeds are assessed. "Depending on the level of infestation found, some shipments are even rejected," he explains. 

"Furthermore, the units constantly monitor the stored grains to identify potential sources of contamination and determine the most suitable locations for forming batches destined for export," he says.

Logistics challenges 

During the panel, the logistics and infrastructure of the sector for the flow of the harvest were addressed by Edenilson Oliveira, from the Coamo cooperative. According to him, despite the progress observed in improving ports and export corridors, there are still important structural bottlenecks, especially related to the railway network, which could compromise the sector's competitiveness in the long term.

In the Port of Paranaguá, Oliveira mentions the expansion and modernization projects that promise to significantly increase grain handling capacity, reducing historical bottlenecks and increasing the competitiveness of Brazilian exports. He also discusses the proposed renewal of the concession for the Southern Railway Network. "The concern is that, without more robust investments in railways, road transport will remain overburdened, increasing costs and limiting the potential for expansion of the national agribusiness sector," he assesses.

Oliveira emphasizes that this is a crucial moment to discuss the future of the Southern region's railway infrastructure, especially given the concession renewal process, which will define investments and guidelines for the coming decades. "I believe it's necessary to think about the system in an integrated way, expanding transportation alternatives for producing regions and reducing the heavy dependence on road transport," he points out.

For him, the challenge cannot be attributed solely to railway concessionaires, but requires a systemic and long-term vision, with the participation of public authorities in building structural solutions. "Planning needs to consider horizons of 10, 20, or even 50 years, ensuring that infrastructure keeps pace with the growth of agricultural production and preserves Brazil's competitiveness in international markets," he concludes.