Plan proposes use of the Port of Pecém to transport cotton from Matopiba

Meeting between Abapa and logistics operators foresees the stuffing of up to 70 containers per week

The creation of a work plan to enable the stuffing of up to 70 containers of cotton per week at the Port of Pecém, in Ceará, was the main outcome of a meeting held between the Bahian Association of Cotton Producers (Abapa) and representatives of the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.

The proposal is still in the study and articulation phase, with the involvement of producers, traders, road transporters from the Matopiba region (formed by areas of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia) and operators of the Ceará port terminal.

According to Abapa, the objective is to structure a logistics alternative that allows the direct shipment of fiber produced in the Northeast to Asian markets, reducing dependence on shipping through the Port of Santos, in São Paulo.

In addition to optimizing distances and costs, the plan foresees the use of so-called return freight, taking advantage of ships that arrive with supplies and equipment in the region to return with loads of cotton, which would bring logistical and sustainable gains.

According to Gustavo Prado, executive director of Abapa, the objective of this meeting was to resume negotiations with the Port of Pecém. “When we were there, during the Brazilian Cotton Congress, last year, we visited the port with the intention of prospecting opportunities that would be good for the producers and also for them. We want to make another alternative for the flow of cotton from Bahia and Matopiba viable, reducing dependence on the Port of Santos”, he stated.

The Abapa representative also said that, with the efforts made by the entity since last year, it was possible to increase exports through the Port of Salvador. “Now, we want to replicate this good initiative in the Port of Pecém. We went from a 90% dependence on Santos to around 75% currently,” he added.