The port region of New Orleans, Louisiana, US, was the world’s No. 1 grain and oilseeds export hub in 2023, leading the two major South American hubs, according to a report published by Argentina’s Rosario Grains Exchange.
The Port of New Orleans Region was listed first with 63.4 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds exported, while Santos Port in Brazil exported 62.3 million tonnes. Argentina’s Rosario port was next with 42.4 million, Belém, Brazil, 38.17 million, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 26.99 million.
In 2023, the New Orleans region will have shipped more than half of all US agribusiness exports. According to the Exchange, citing US Department of Commerce data, shipments represented more than 60% of US soybeans, 78% of corn and 25% of wheat.
The Exchange noted that the port of Santos is the most important in Latin America by commercial volume. It accounts for about 29% of the Brazilian trade balance, and its main exported products are soybeans, sugar, orange juice, corn, and chemical wood pulp.
After ranking first in 2019, Rosario was second from 2020-22 before severe drought took hold in the country’s main production regions, leading to a collapse of shipped volumes.“At the same time, the phenomenal performance of the port of Santos in Brazil stands out,” the Exchange said. “In just six years, the total volume shipped doubled, going from 31.1 million tonnes in 2018 to 62.3 million tonnes in 2023, hand in hand with an explosion in Brazilian grain production.”