After investing R$100 million in the construction of warehouses at Porto do Açu, in São João da Barra, in Rio de Janeiro, to store grains (soy and corn), the Minas Port group, originally from the city of Itaúna, in the Center-West of Minas Gerais, will invest another R$200 million in the terminal. This time, the resources will be allocated to a fertilizer mixing factory.
Work will begin in August and operations are expected to begin in October 2025. The project will have a production capacity of 850 thousand tons per year.
“All the fertilizer that arrives in Brazil today, through Paranaguá (Paraná), goes directly to the factories and from there to the final consumer. In other words, there is a problem with transportation that is not necessary and the producer and the final consumer are the ones who pay the bill. Our aim is to optimize for the producer and the transporter to win, and to have an efficient port”, highlighted the CEO of the Minas Port Group, Marcelo Marra, during the inauguration ceremony of the warehouses.
The new storage area is attached to the Multicargo Terminal (T-Mult) of the Rio de Janeiro port complex, where agricultural cargo will be loaded. Each warehouse is 6.4 thousand square meters (m²) and has a storage capacity of almost 35 thousand tons.
The company, which has been operating at the site since 2017, also opened a 14,000 m² yard dedicated to the storage of other products, such as solid fuels and raw materials for the cement and lime industries.
Consolidating the combined logistics at Porto do Açu, Minas Port will also use its fleet of trucks to optimize cargo transportation and reduce freight costs for customers. The group’s idea is to take two routes on the same trip: bringing soybeans to store in warehouses and taking coal and fertilizer for distribution, especially in Minas Gerais and Goiás.
Expansion of the multi-cargo terminal
The company’s warehouses from Minas Gerais complement the service structure to offer more services from T-Mult, which has three covered warehouses in operation since 2023, and help the enterprise to gain share in the national grain market. The terminal’s capacity is being expanded year by year to accommodate the demand and growth of customers based in Porto do Açu. Currently, 60% of the movement is carried out for Minas Gerais customers.
Project to implement a specific grain terminal
Aiming to consolidate itself in the grains market, exporting and importing cargo mainly from the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás, Porto do Açu plans to implement a specific terminal for loading soybeans and corn. Those responsible for the port complex are in negotiations to implement the project, including with potential partners. The final investment decision should take place in 2024, with operations expected to begin in 2026.
The estimated flow capacity is up to 3 million tons per year in the first phase of the project. This amount would represent a huge leap compared to the 500 thousand tons planned for 2024. The contribution would be around R$250 million to R$300 million.
The business unit may also be expanded in the future depending on demand or the port’s connection with a railway network. Porto do Açu is developing part of the studies, which will be delivered to the federal government, for a project that would connect Cariacica to the Duque de Caxias Refinery (Reduc), via the railway corridor. One of the sections, 41 kilometers long, will be built by the port itself, with an already authorized investment of R$610 million.
In a recent interview with Diário do Comércio, the commercial and industrialization director of Porto do Açu, João Braz, revealed that there are advanced negotiations with two trading companies to export 2.5 million tons of grains from this new terminal. According to him, the grain market captured in Brazil is around 8 million tons, a volume that could be reached by the port complex if the railway goes out of business.
04 de julho de 2024 • 17:45
By: Thyago Henrique
Source: Diário do Comércio
News Link: https://diariodocomercio.com.br/economia/minas-port-vai-construir-misturadora-de-fertilizantes-no-porto-do-acu/
