Outflow of sugar exports through railroads tends to strengthen
Valor Econômico
With weight of nearly 20% in the final cost of sugar, the logistics of the commodity starts getting out of inertia. Currently, between 80% and 90% of the sugar exported by the Mid-South of the country goes up to the ports of the region on trucks, but investments are being made to increase the volume carried through railroads to more than one third of the total.
In 2009, the railway system of the State of Paraná, via América Latina Logística (ALL), carried nearly 3.7 million tons of sugar. According to market sources, nearly 1.5 million tons of the product were not produced in the State of Paraná, but they came especially from Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. Only Rumo Logística, controlled by Cosan, that carried through railroad nearly 1 million tons for export in the past cycle, expects to carry, in the 2010/11 harvest, from 5 million to 6 million tons on the rails.
The São Martinho group, which this week announced its partnership with Rumo, will also invest to increase the transshipment capacity of the sugar railroad terminal located at Usina São Martinho, in Pradópolis (SP). Currently with capacity for nearly 800 thousand tons of the product by harvest, the terminal will be expanded to receive 2 million tons in 2011/12, so as to meet the demand of a good part of the 23 plants located within a radius of 50 kilometers from the terminal. "We estimate this region produces 3 million tons", says the President of Rumo, Julio Fontana Neto, on the potential of the neighboring clientele.
In the partnership announced, Rumo Logística will carry - within the scope of the project it already has with América Latina Logística (ALL) - the sugar production of the São Martinho plant. It, in turn, will transship the sugar production of the Bonfim plant, owned by Cosan, located near the municipality of Guariba (SP). "The production of Bonfim, of 500 thousand tons, shall be transshipped at the terminal of the São Martinho. That represents a reduction of 15% to 20% in the final cost of the product", assesses Fontana. According to the agreement, São Martinho will also have access to the sugar terminal of Cosan, in Santos.
The guarantee of railway transportation from terminal of Pradópolis provided São Martinho safety to invest in the increase of the transshipment structure. São Martinho already carried sugar through railroad from Pradópolis, but not with the desired frequency, because of the competition with the grain coming from the Midwest region for space in the railroad -the remuneration of the railway companies will be paid in accordance with the distance of the carriage hired.