Argentinian rail operator Belgrano Cargas y Logística (BcyL/TAC) has acquired a series of new bulk grain hoppers for use with shipments generated by the agro-industrial cooperative Unión Agrícola de Avellaneda (UAA). The 45 hoppers, which were imported via the port of Buenos Aires, can each hold up to 55 tonnes of grain, and will be used on the narrow gauge lines of the Belgrano railway. They were built in China by CMEC.
In what is effectively a public-private partnership scheme, the UAA has received advance freight payments totalling $5,715,000, which allowed BCyL/TAC to purchase this latest batch of wagons from China.
The UAA has rail-connected grain storage facilities in Argentina in the provinces of Salta, Chaco, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe, with the majority of output shipped via maritime ports.
According to the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, this year’s harvest will produce 147.9mt (million tonnes) of grain, up 13% on the previous harvest. Revenue from exports is therefore forecast to rise by 7.3%, generating $36 billion in foreign exchange.
For its part, the Rosario Stock Exchange has projected a record production of 160 million tonnes of grain, a rise of 21.2mt over the previous year.