Farmers struggle with long wait times amid record harvest and logistical bottlenecks
03/18/2025
In a year of record grain production and a concentrated soybean harvest driven by weather conditions, producers are struggling to transport their crops through the port of Porto Velho, the capital city of northern Rondônia state. From there, the soybeans are shipped via the Madeira River to the port of Santarém (Pará state) for export.
This month alone, the queue of trucks waiting at support stations along the BR-364 highway to unload soybeans at transshipment stations has surpassed 1,100 vehicles. The daily loading capacity at Porto Velho’s port is 10,000 tonnes, or approximately 200 trucks.
With no space to deposit their cargo at unloading stations, trucks are parking at the Mirian network support post in Candeias do Jamari, in Rondônia. As of Monday (17), trucks were already lining up along the roadside because the parking lot at the support post was full, according to soybean producers in Rondônia.
“The average wait time to unload is between four and six days. One or two days is expected for this period, but five days is excessive. It’s a tough situation. Some producers are even losing grain in the fields because they can’t store it in warehouses,” said Marcelo Lucas da Silva, director of the Association of Soybean and Corn Producers of Rondônia (Aprosoja RO).
Sources connected to trading companies, who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that such long queues are common during the peak of the harvest season. Cargill and Amaggi are the primary grain traders shipping soybeans through Porto Velho.
The National Supply Company (CONAB) estimates that Brazil’s 2024/25 soybean crop will reach a record 167.4 million tonnes, reflecting a 13.3% increase. In Rondônia, CONAB projects a 7.1% increase to 2.4 million tonnes, while APROSOJA estimates a 12% increase.
Porto Velho’s terminal handles not only Rondônia’s production but also shipments from northwestern and northern Mato Grosso. Mr. Silva claimed that Amaggi, which operates the private Portuchuelo terminal in Porto Velho, is prioritizing its own fleet of trucks, leaving independent producers in Rondônia waiting longer. “There isn’t a single queue; they prioritize their own trucks,” he said.
In a statement, Amaggi said that “the scheduling of truck arrivals from Mato Grosso and Rondônia at its two Porto Velho port units follows a pre-established company plan.” The company also said that it is adjusting its operations to accommodate greater grain volumes, which have risen due to delayed harvesting in Rondônia caused by adverse weather conditions. Amaggi acknowledged that this may lead to “some delays” but emphasized that the situation “should not significantly impact grain exports through this corridor.”
Rondônia state legislator Ezequiel Neiva raised concerns in the Legislative Assembly, alleging that Hermasa—Amaggi’s subsidiary operating at Porto Velho’s port—has an annual capacity of 2.4 million tonnes but is only utilizing 30% of it. Mr. Neiva called for the Rondônia Ports and Waterways Authority (SOPH) to appear before the legislature to address the issue.
Last week, APROSOJA Rondônia sent a formal request to SOPH president Fernando Parente, urging the agency to open the port to more operators willing to invest and expand shipping capacity.
Mr. Parente said that the state government plans to initiate a bidding process by Friday (21) to attract new companies to the port. “We have a 22,000-square-meter area that could accommodate new silos,” he noted.
He also mentioned that the anticipated concession of the Madeira River waterway this year should enhance regional waterborne transport. A public consultation on the project, coordinated by the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ), is scheduled for the 20th. Mr. Parente expects these developments to bolster port operations by 2026.
In the short term, Mr. Parente anticipates that the backlog will ease with the arrival of a large Bertolini Transporte e Navegação convoy on Thursday, consisting of 20 barges set to transport 50,000 tonnes of soybeans to Santarém—equivalent to 1,000 trucks.
According to Mr. Parente, an average of 170 trucks arrive daily at the port, which has a capacity of 200 trucks per day or 10,000 tonne. “The cargo arrives damp and needs to be dried in silos. We have four silos, each with a 10,000-tonne capacity. Three are full, and the fourth is being loaded,” he said.
He acknowledged logistical challenges due to Amaggi’s operations, which bring in around 110 trucks daily to the company’s private drying facilities. “There is indeed a logistical bottleneck,” Mr. Parente said.
*By Cibelle Bouças e Rafael Walendorff, Globo Rural — Belo Horizonte and Brasília
Source: Valor International