{"id":281687,"date":"2020-10-13T09:59:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T12:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=281687"},"modified":"2020-10-13T14:04:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T17:04:48","slug":"itaqui-port-expansion-to-drive-trade-with-arab-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/itaqui-port-expansion-to-drive-trade-with-arab-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"Itaqui Port expansion to drive trade with Arab countries"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Modernization work at the Port of Itaqui<\/a> in Maranh\u00e3o, Brazil will enable added trade with the Arab countries. Investment is underway in fertilizer shipping and refrigerated containers, and facilities are now available for livestock exports. Maranh\u00e3o Port Authority (Emap) chairman Ted Lago discussed the matter with ANBA.<\/p>\n

Lago describes the port as unrivaled when it comes to competitiveness in trade with Africa, due to its location as well as possibilities in terms of markets, shipping ability and facilities. \u201cConsidering the region\u2019s structure and profile, we will be the most competitive port for Africa.\u201d North Africa Africa is home to the Arab countries Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, Somalia and Djibouti. The seaport is set in a grain-producing area that caters to some 50 million consumers.<\/p>\n

Expansion work at the Port of Itaqui\u2019s fertilizer terminal will enable it to handle refrigerated shipping containers. This will allow for the export of meats, which Brazil supplies in large amounts to the Arab countries. According to Ted Lago, the Port is already prepared to ship out livestock, another staple of Brazilian sales to the Arab world.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy November we will conclude the most state-of-the-art fertilizer terminal in Latin America,\u201d he told ANBA. Most of the fertilizer shipping to Brazil currently comes in at the ports of Paranagu\u00e1, Paran\u00e1 and Santos, S\u00e3o Paulo. Authorities in Maranh\u00e3o are looking to change this picture.<\/p>\n

The Port of Itaqui can currently accommodate 2 million tons\u2019 worth of fertilizer. The expansion will increase that to 3.5 million. The Port\u2019s location makes it a competitive supplier to crops in grain-producing states across the Midwest and North. Lago argues that fertilizer arriving at the facility can be competitively supplied from North Goi\u00e1s on up.<\/p>\n

Railway investment is also ongoing. This means that by July 2021, fertilizer will also get shuttled on trains to producing areas. For the time being, transportation is handled by trucks.<\/p>\n

Lago believes that Brazil\u2019s Northern Arc is where grain farming is booming right now. That comprises Amazonas, Amap\u00e1, Maranh\u00e3o, Roraima, and Par\u00e1. Maranh\u00e3o soy crops will exceed 1 million hectares for the first time in the 2020\/2021 season. Lago explains that in the Northern Arc, a shift is going on towards intensive livestock farming in degraded areas. The ensuing animal feed needs paves the way for high-yield grain in those lands, and that requires fertilizer.<\/p>\n

Refrigerated shipping containers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some three years ago, the Port of Itaqui invested in a facility featuring 50 power outlets for refrigerated containers, with the use of generators allowing it to accommodate as much as 150 containers. The ongoing overhaul will bring that up to 450 outlets in 12 months\u2019 time. \u201cOnce the work is done, we\u2019ll be one of the premier ports for refrigerated containers. It will be a complete change of scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Port of Itaqui serves the grain-producing states in exports and receives fuels and fertilizers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The goal is to make Itaqui into a hub for processed, for-export meat produced in Maranh\u00e3o as well as Tocantins. \u201cMuch more than a grain exporting facility, we want to be an exporter oif protein, whether it be plant-based, in the case of grain, or animal-based, i.e. processed meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to imports, the Port takes in mostly fuel and fertilizer. The fuel comes in from North America, and the fertilizer, from Eastern Europe, Morocco and the UAE. The primary export product is grains, which is what farming revolves around in the surrounding area. Asia is the premier destination, but maize also ships to Arab countries such as Egypt and Morocco, as well as parts of Europe. Wood pulp also gets shipped to North America.<\/p>\n

The grain shipping through Port of Itaqui \u2013 mostly soy and maize \u2013 is sourced from Brazil\u2019s North and parts of the Midwest. \u201cWe handle cargo from seven Brazilian states,\u201d Lago says. From March to September, when the soy crop peaks, some 1 million tons of grain a month get shipped from Itaqui.<\/p>\n

The Port is also Brazil\u2019s third biggest for the shipping of fuel. Its depth allows it to accommodate large-sized vessels. Some of the fuel will get transshipped onto smaller vessels before heading out to other ports across Brazil. \u201cIt\u2019s a trifecta: grain, fertilizer and fuel always go together, because agribusiness is also very fuel-intensive, both the farming and the harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n

In tandem with the Arab Chamber<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Port of Itaqui is a member of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> (ABCC). It will be one of the exhibitors at the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries<\/a>, which the ABCC will host in virtual form from October 19 to 22. The seaport has been working closely with the ABCC for a few years now to get more incoming and outgoing goods in Arab-Brazilian trade.<\/p>\n

Lago believes that the ABCC can help the port connect the dots in supply and demand, and he argues that the organization\u2019s networking ability is important in connecting with Arabs. The port will showcase its facilities during the Forum. \u201cTo underscore that region not only as an exporter, but also as a buyer, not only of fertilizer, but also other products that the Arabs can offer. We have a market of 50 million people in the port\u2019s perimeter.\u201d<\/p>\n

On many occasions, the Port of Itaqui has engaged in efforts to build ties with the Arab countries, by having delegates travel and by staying in touch with diplomats in Egypt, Morocco and the UAE. Ted Lago explains that the presence of Arab immigrants is strongly felt in Maranh\u00e3o. \u201cWe are very close with them. We have many families: Abdallah, Maluf, Murad. They\u2019re part of the history of Maranh\u00e3o.\u201d<\/p>\n

Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Port of Itaqui\/Press Release<\/div>\n
Port of Itaqui\/Press Release<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The seaport in Itaqui, Maranh\u00e3o is adding capacity for incoming fertilizer shipments and power outlets for refrigerated shipping containers. This will enable increased throughput in trade with Arab countries. The Port will be an exhibitor at the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1455,"featured_media":281747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[17485,2188,2792,2189,17486,10767,13035,1870,1751,4123,36464,2769],"class_list":{"0":"post-281687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-conteinere-refrigerados","9":"tag-export","10":"tag-fertilizer","11":"tag-import","12":"tag-itaqui-en","13":"tag-livestock-en","14":"tag-maranhao-en","15":"tag-meat","16":"tag-port","17":"tag-port-of-itaqui","18":"tag-porto-en","19":"tag-soy"},"wps_subtitle":"The seaport in Itaqui, Maranh\u00e3o is adding capacity for incoming fertilizer shipments and power outlets for refrigerated shipping containers. This will enable increased throughput in trade with Arab countries. The Port will be an exhibitor at the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries. ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}