Brazil grain logistics surge

In late July 2026, logistics firm VLI reported moving a record 12.4 million metric tonnes of grains and feedstock between January and June, a 7.9 % increase over the same period a year earlier. The company highlighted a historic second‑quarter volume of 7.9 million tonnes and described how its three main rail corridors (North, East and Southeast) connect key production areas to export ports such as São Luís, Espírito Santo and Santos.

A few days later VLI reaffirmed the same transport figures while Brazil’s total grain harvest was forecast to reach a record 360.1 million tonnes in the 2025/26 cycle. The National Supply Company noted that storage capacity can accommodate only about 63 % of that volume—roughly 226.5 million tonnes—leaving a shortfall of about 134 million tonnes, the largest ever recorded. Analysts attributed the bottleneck to rapid expansion in the Cerrado and Matopiba regions without matching infrastructure growth, raising concerns for producers lacking adequate silos.

Together, the snapshots show a continuing trend of record grain movement through VLI’s corridors alongside mounting pressure from insufficient storage capacity in Brazil’s agribusiness sector.