Problems on the BR-277 affect exports, says agro do Paraná – 03/15/2023 – Market

Problems on the BR-277 affect exports, says agro do Paraná – 03/15/2023 – Market


In Paraná, agribusiness has shown losses due to the rains and frequent interdictions on the BR-277, the main access route to the Port of Paranaguá.

The sector cites problems such as lack of space to store grain production, since it is not always possible to release trucks to the road. For this reason, there are cooperatives that have chosen to send their cargo to other ports, such as São Francisco and Santos.

Since the end of last year, the BR-277 has been facing problems after heavy rains, with landslides and rocks, and even the track sinking.

At the moment, there is a partial closure at kilometers 33 and 41.5. There, there was already a barrier fall and the Dnit made a detour, with a descent lane and an ascent lane. “The services are about 60% completed. The expectation is that the recovery work will continue until the end of March”, says the federal government agency responsible for the road.

At kilometer 33.5 of the same highway, towards the coast, there was a subsidence of the pavement on the last day of the 8th, and large cracks appeared on the roadway. Since then, there has been a ban on the downhill lane for a length of 1.1 kilometers. Traffic is moving slowly along the stretch.

“The larger cracks were sealed with asphalt putty. The smaller cracks were closed with Grout (special, more resistant putty). The sealing of the cracks is a necessary preventive measure to prevent rainwater from infiltrating the pavement and causing more damage” , says the federal agency.

At this point on the highway, the Dnit has not set a deadline for solving the problem and claims that it considers the site “geologically compromised”.

“Regarding the sinking, Dnit emphasizes that the technicians have already started the topography surveys and should carry out soil tests and surveys at various points of the site. After this stage, a study of alternatives for the containment project will be prepared to define the best engineering solution to solve the problem”, says the federal agency.

There are also emergency slope containment services being carried out at kilometers 40 and 41.4 of the BR-277 by the DER (Departamento de Estradas de Rodagem) of the government of Paraná. Until last Saturday (11), 70% of the services had been performed.

The state body expects to complete the containment of kilometer 41 in March, freeing the track that is occupied by equipment, but warns that the deadline can be changed depending on weather conditions.

Port of Paranaguá

Figures from Portos do Paraná, a public company linked to the state government that manages Paranaguá and Antonina, reveal that exports of soybeans and bran fell in this first two months of 2023, compared to the same period last year.

In February 2022, 1.1 million tons of soybeans had already been exported through the Port of Paranaguá. This year, only 453.6 thousand tons were shipped in the month. In the first two months, there were 1.8 million tons last year, against 898.8 thousand tons in 2023.

The Directorate of Operations at Portos do Paraná assesses, however, that the drop in soy exports is mainly related to the delay in harvesting (also due to the amount of rain) and points out that there was a 6% increase in exports in general , considering all other products.

The heavy rains also affect the Port of Paranaguá, which recorded more stoppages in this two-month period than in the same period last year. In 2022, there were 9.8 days of stoppage due to rain in January and another 4.9 days in February; this year, it was 9.1 days in January and 11.2 days in February.

In a note released this Tuesday (14), however, Portos do Paraná says that Paranaguá and Antonina are operating normally this week, receiving around 1,300 trucks per day, on average, in the public screening yard.

Portos do Paraná also said that the number of ships that are in the region and waiting to dock is within the average for the time – there are 56 ships offshore this Tuesday (14). When a ship is offshore, it means that it has already been announced, but does not yet have the marketed cargo to pick up.

According to the public company, 96 vessels are expected to load or unload by April 24.



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