According to data from Brazil's Secretariat of Foreign Trade, the country exported 231,200 tonnes of sorghum between January and August 2026. China absorbed 196,050 tonnes, around 85% of the total. Chinese demand is stimulating new logistical solutions to take the Brazilian cereal to the Asian market.

Bilateral sorghum trade gained momentum following the signing of the phytosanitary protocol between the two countries in November 2024. In November 2025, the first Brazilian establishments were authorised to export to China.

In September, the logistics company VLI began rail transport of sorghum destined for China, with shipment via the port of Tubarão, in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. It also incorporated the northern corridor, linking the producing regions of Matopiba to the port of Itaqui, in Maranhão.

By September, VLI had transported more than 250,000 tonnes of sorghum, with around 160,000 shipped via Tubarão and 90,000 through the port of Santos . The company expects to handle between 800,000 and one million tonnes in 2026.

In China, the grain is used both as animal feed and in the production of baijiu, a traditional distilled alcoholic beverage. Expanding shipments serves to diversify agri-food trade between the two countries and opens up opportunities for Brazilian producers and logistics operators. 

(Source: Xinhua Português, 8 October)