Minas Port grain storage area at the Port of Açu (RJ)
Depois de inaugurar uma nova área voltada para grãos com capacidade de estocar até 70 mil toneladas, empresa antecipa ao AgFeed investimento de R$ 200 milhões para construir unidade voltada ao armazenamento de adubos
One of the biggest challenges for the entire Brazilian agribusiness chain is dealing with logistics costs. Studies carried out by Fundação Dom Cabral, for example, say that logistics consumes 20% of the revenue generated by agriculture in the country.
Minas Port, which originated from a fuel intermediation company, is committed to the efficiency of its operations precisely to reduce these costs and gain market share, especially in agribusiness.
At the beginning of July, the company announced the start of operations in a storage area at the Port of Açu, in Rio de Janeiro, focused on grains, especially soybeans and corn.
R$100 million were invested in the construction of two warehouses with a total capacity of 70 thousand tons.
“This warehouse is already in operation, we are serving a trading company with the first ship leaving today (Friday, July 12), and we already have our total capacity sold until February. We already have demand to close contracts of 10 and up to 15 years, but we will not occupy the entire area. We want to reserve space for new customers”, says Marcelo Marra, CEO of Minas Port.
While already reaping the fruits of this large investment aimed at agribusiness, Minas Port is already planning a new, even larger storage area, focused on fertilizers.
In this new warehouse, the expected investment is R$200 million, and the expectation is that it will open in 2025, according to Marra. “This area will have capacity for 850 thousand tons of fertilizers and we will have a mixer for the active ingredients. This will result in savings of millions for producers and resellers”, says the CEO of Minas Port to AgFeed.
Another contribution that is already underway by Minas Port involves increasing the daily loading capacity of ships, using equipment known as a shiploader.
“Today, our shiploader has the capacity to load up to 12 thousand tons per day. We are investing in new equipment, which will begin operating between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027, which can carry between 35 thousand and 40 thousand tons per day”, says Marra.
With all this movement, the CEO projects that agribusiness will double its share of Minas Port’s revenue in 2024, rising from 10% last year to 20%. “The tendency is for this share to increase significantly in the coming years”, he states. Today, 80% of the company’s revenue comes from fuel operations.
The executive states that the investments will enhance the other differences that Minas Port offers in relation to other logistics operators and other port terminals.
“We take care of all aspects of transportation, from the farm to the port. On the farm, scheduling the removal of grains is done via an app, avoiding problems for the producer and the driver.”
At the port, Marra says that trucks arrive with cargo already designated for the return trip. “The entire process, between unloading and loading the products for the return trip, takes an hour and a half. To give you an idea, this process, at the Port of Santos, can take up to 24 hours, and generally the driver needs to pick up some cargo for the return trip.”
With this greater agility, the executive states that the savings of the entire agricultural chain served by Minas Port with logistics reach 20%. “It is a factor that is little discussed in the sector, and it demands a lot of money, even increasing inflation”, he states.
Even before this greater focus on agriculture, Minas Port had already been experiencing an average annual growth of 40% in its revenue since 2020, according to Marra.
Last year, the company recorded revenues of R$1.3 billion, and for this year, the expectation is to reach R$1.7 billion, which would represent a 30% increase in revenues.
By: Renato Carvalho
Source: AGFeed
News Link: https://agfeed.com.br/negocios/minas-port-duplica-aposta-no-agro-e-tera-armazens-para-fertilizantes-no-porto-de-acu/#
