In an early start to Brazil's grain export season, soybeans have overtaken corn at the country's ports in March and are expected to dominate bulk loading for the coming several months, trade data showed on Friday. Corn export still dominated grain exports in the first quarter after record shipments in the past several months, Trade Ministry said in its March trade report. Corn exports totaled a record 11.8 million tonnes from January through March, up from 4.9 million tonnes over the same period a year ago.
That compares with soybean exports over the quarter that totaled 10.8 million tonnes, up from 6.54 million tonnes in the same three months a year ago. March was the first month this year that soybeans surpassed corn exports, with the former reaching 8.37 million tonnes and the latter 2.02 million tonnes. Soybeans are expected as usual to dominate bulk grains loading at Brazil's main ports for the coming several months as the record harvest of nearly 100 million tonnes progresses through May when it should end.
Corn exports are then expected pick up again with force as the country harvests an expected record winter crop from June and eventually take the leading role in grains in the final months of the year. Until then, corn shipments are expected to remain quiet after a plunge in the Brazilian real in the second half of 2015 prompted exports of a record 35 million tonnes of corn from July through March that left local livestock producers running to Argentina and Paraguay to find sufficient grain supplies to feed their animals. Brazil's pork and poultry producers have ordered the import of roughly 500,000 tonnes of corn through May from its southern neighbors.