USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has published a new report and summary for research conducted in cooperation with the University of Sao Paolo.
The study examines how Brazil’s modal shares of truck, barge, and rail for transporting corn and soybeans have evolved over the last decade. Despite significant upgrades to Brazilian infrastructure, which spurred domestic production of corn and soybeans, several challenges persist. One issue is the long distances between major production regions and terminals for barge and rail.
Another challenge is the country’s limited rail and inland waterway infrastructure capacity. In 2019, trucks shipped most corn and soybeans from the farm to major destinations, accounting for nearly 69 percent of total movements of corn and 67 percent of total movements of soybeans.
