Producer and consumer lose out with high freight costs

Transportation is one of the main factors that increase the cost of food and inputs in Brazil. Logistics can account for up to 15% of the final value paid by the consumer, with a strong emphasis on road transport, responsible for 62% of cargo movement in the country. By 2025, Brazilian logistics costs reached R$ 940 billion, an increase of almost 7% compared to the previous year, according to data from the Ilos Institute. In agribusiness, the impact is even greater. Transportation tariffs for grains have had significant increases: 39% in Piauí, 26.8% in Maranhão, and up to 20% in municipalities in Paraná such as Campo Mourão. Freight, even though invisible to the consumer, increases the final price of food, especially when there are redundant routes, idle cargo, or trucks running empty. “Freight is an invisible component that the consumer rarely notices, but it is embedded in everything that reaches the supermarket. A redundant route, idle cargo, or trucks running empty are costs ...