摘要: |
Total Brazilian soybean transportation costs were 5 to 17 percent lower in the 2nd quarter than the same period last year. Contributing to the decline were a 20-percent drop in ocean rates due to lower Brazilian iron ore shipments, an increase in the number of vessels available, and soybean producers holding back shipments in hopes of higher prices. Rates from the areas of Mato Grasso (MT), Parana (PR) and Goias (GO) also fell 3 to 10 percent from 1st quarter of this year. A surplus of trucks, especially in the MT area, coinciding with the end of Brazil's soybean harvest that began last December, was the primary reason for the 1st to 2nd quarter decline this Spring in transport costs. The cost of shipping a metric ton of soybeans 100 miles by truck fell from $7.48 in March to $6.62 in June. Still, transportation costs represent over 40 percent of the total landed cost of shipping soybeans from MT to Shanghai and Hamburg. |