Brazil's commodity export hub is under pressure from record shipments of soybeans, corn and sugar at a time of year when rainfall is starting to pick up in southern ports, according to traders, analysts and shipping data.
Exporters have reported delays in the shipment of coffee due to tight supplies of trucks and containers, while waiting times for ships to load have also increased, creating additional costs for traders and delays in the commodity reaching its destination.
Brazilian ports have been handling large volumes of cargo this year, but rains in the south, the largest sugar delivery ever in New York when the contract expires in October, and the diversion of cargo from northern ports to Santos port due to a drop in the Amazon River's water level caused by dry Emperor have added pressure to the system.
"We are having trouble with container supplies," the head trader at a large coffee exporter said on condition of anonymity, adding that the situation slowed exports in September.
The sugar industry is using more containers, reducing availability, he said.
Raw sugar is usually shipped in bulk, while refined sugar is shipped in containers.
The number of containers used to export sugar rose 86 per cent year on year in the year to August, while those used to export coffee fell 5 per cent, according to Datamar, a shipping data provider.
For bulk carriers, the waiting time for loading cargo has increased.
Shipping agent Williams said wait times at Santos' main sugar terminal CLI had increased from 17 days in September to 33 days on Wednesday.
Analysts at ING said some sugar shipments scheduled for October from Brazil could be delayed until November.
However, a director at one of Brazil's biggest sugar exporters said buyers had expected the delay.
"But if it starts raining a lot, it gets complicated," he added.
Weather forecasters say Santos will see only light rain in the coming days, with heavier downpours expected on October 28.
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