Abstract

Soybean is one of the most important cultures harvested in the world, and Brazil is ranked the second major producer and the top exporter of this oilseed. Brazil presents good edaphoclimatic conditions for soybean cropping, it has a strong research structure and has capacity to enhance its cropping area, and however, the faulty infrastructure in its own terrain hinders logistic operations for soybean flow and exportation. Brazil has a huge deficit in grain storing, forcing producers to flow their production right after harvesting. Brazilian transportation is centered on a road system, and it is not viable once road conditions are precarious and also there are long distances to run. Soybean should then be transported by water or railway, but these means of transportation are not enough in the country due to low exploitation of existing waterways and the short railway system. Besides, Brazilian ports are inefficient, when the soybean harvest flow is at its peak for exportation; there are long lines of trucks and ships. This series of internal barriers increase the costs of Brazilian soybean and reduces its competition in the foreign market. Thus, it is of pivotal importance that the Brazilian government performs investments in building warehouses. It is also vital to invest in the improvement of the road network, extend railways and waterways and enhance ports, so that the costs with soybean logistics drop and producers should be able to increase their profits and competitiveness in the overseas market.

Key words: Glycine max L., transport, packaging