November 10, 2006

Brazil's Santos Port getting new grain terminal

Brazilian grain exporter Cereal Sul started work in late October on a new port terminal that will hold three grain silos with the capacity to store 36,000 tonnes at the Santos Port, the local Estado newswire reported Thursday (Nov 9).

Each silo will have the capacity to store 12,000 tonnes. One of the silos will be used for wheat imports. Brazil will import nearly 8 million tonnes of wheat in 2007, the National Commodities Supply Corp said Thursday. Cereal Sul said the terminals will also be used for soy exports. The Santos Port is the no. 1 soy exporter in Brazil.

The Sao Paulo state Secretary of Agriculture granted the company the required environmental licenses to build the roughly 4,000-square-metre terminal.

The terminal will cost 22 million Brazilian reals (US$10.28 million).

Cereal Sul is owned by Multigrain, an international commodities trader of soy, wheat, cotton, sugarcane and fertiliser.