Feb 25, 2026
"Northern Arc of Ports" in Brazil Lead Expansion
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Ports and terminals in northern Brazil, collectively known as the "Northern Arc of Ports", recorded the highest percentage growth in Brazil in 2025. According to data from the National Agency for Water Transport (Antaq), the northern ports moved 163.3 million tons of cargo in 2025, up 10.3% compared to 2024. This surpasses the increase of 6.1% in 2025 for the traditional ports in Brazil.
Soybeans accounted for 30% of everything that moved through the northern ports in 2025, adding up to 48.6 million tons, an increase of 19.2% compared to 2024. Corn followed the uptrend registering 34.4 million tons, which was up 6.2%. Together, they accounted for 50.8% of all the cargo moving through the northern ports in 2025. When agribusiness managers move more products through the northern ports, they reduce the "Brazil cost" of transportation and gain competitiveness in the world market.
The expansion of the northern ports is not only sustained by exports of agribusinesses and mining such as bauxite, which amounted to 24.8 million tons in 2025, but the movement of containers also grew by 15.2% to 12.1 million tons. Since containers are the modal used to transport higher value-added products such as electronics, consumer goods, processed foods and inputs, the growth indicated that industry in the region is producing more and trading more.