Northern Arc widens lead in Brazil’s corn exports, Conab says
Brazil’s Northern Arc ports expanded their lead in the country’s corn export logistics, handling 46.12% of all Brazilian corn shipments between January and July 2026, according to the latest Logistics Bulletin from Conab, Brazil’s food supply and crop agency.
The result strengthens the role of Northern Arc corn exports in Brazil’s agribusiness logistics network. In the same period of 2025, the region accounted for 35.46% of the country’s corn exports, pointing to a significant shift in the distribution of port flows.
The increase came in a year of broader growth in Brazilian corn shipments. According to Conab, Brazil exported 9.83 million metric tons of corn in the first seven months of 2026, up from 8.89 million tons in the same period last year, an increase of 10.53%.
The Northern Arc’s gains were driven mainly by Barcarena and Santarém, both in Pará state. Corn shipments through Barcarena rose from 727,000 metric tons between January and July 2025 to 1.77 million tons in the same period this year. In Santarém, volumes increased from 1.05 million to 1.50 million tons.
The Port of Itaqui, in Maranhão state, also advanced, with corn shipments rising from 524,000 to 570,000 metric tons.
Some traditional ports moved in the opposite direction. Paranaguá reduced corn shipments from 1.18 million to 860,000 metric tons. São Francisco do Sul posted a sharper decline, from 1.42 million to 495,000 tons.
Santos, Brazil’s largest port complex, remained broadly stable, handling around 2.19 million metric tons of corn.
Foreign trade data from Datamar point to a similar picture: although nearly 21% of Brazil’s corn exports were shipped through the Port of Santos, key ports in the Arco Norte corridor also posted strong growth. The Port of Vila do Conde recorded a year-over-year increase of nearly 58%, while Santarém was up 18% year to date.
The chart below shows the market share of Brazil’s main corn export ports:
Corn Exports by Port | Brazil | Jan-Jul 2026 | WTMT
Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)
Conab’s data reinforce the consolidation of northern corridors in Brazil’s grain logistics. The Northern Arc brings together port and waterway outlets that mainly serve cargo originating in the Center-West and Matopiba, the agricultural frontier spanning parts of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia. These routes reduce dependence on longer trips to ports in Brazil’s South and Southeast.
The shift also appears when corn is compared with other commodities covered by the bulletin. For soybeans, the Northern Arc accounted for 39.03% of Brazilian exports between January and July. For soybean meal, the region’s share was much smaller, at 12.28%, with Santos remaining the leader at 43.79% of shipments.
Freight dynamics vary by region
The bulletin also shows that export growth took place amid different regional trends in agricultural freight rates.
In Mato Grosso, Brazil’s top grain-producing state, Conab reported lower road freight rates in 18 of the 25 routes surveyed in July, after the peak movement linked to the soybean crop.
In Paraná, however, the combination of the second corn crop harvest and soybean exports increased competition for trucks, putting pressure on routes bound for Paranaguá.
For exporters, trading companies and port operators, the larger share of the Northern Arc changes how they assess logistics capacity, inland transport contracting and shipment scheduling.
The growth of Barcarena and Santarém suggests that northern corridors are absorbing a larger share of Brazil’s exportable corn surplus, while southern ports are losing relative ground in the corn trade.
The path of Northern Arc corn exports will still depend on foreign demand, the pace of Brazil’s second corn crop and operating conditions along waterway, rail and road corridors. Even so, Conab’s figures show that the Northern Arc is no longer just an alternative logistics route. For corn, it has become Brazil’s main export gateway to international markets.
Source: Conab Logistics Bulletin