The terminal now has a  storage capacity of 110,000 tonnes, up from 50,000 tonnes previously. Cargill’s target is for the terminal to reach a traffic of 1.5 million tonnes next year, said company representatives. Its capacity stands at 2 million tonnes/year.

Cargill first decided to invest in the Constanta port in 2008 because of its location and the strategic access it offers to the region, said Martin Schuldt, product line leader for grains and oilseeds origination in Central & Eastern Europe at Cargill, during the opening event. The decision to increase the terminal’s capacity is based on the positive evolution of demand and the subsequent increase of local operations, explained company representatives. Romania’s grain production has been going up over the past years and a new record level is expected to be reached in 2014 as well, added Schuldt.

The growing production has also boosted Romania’s grain exports, shows data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR). If back in 2009 Romania exported 4.2 million tonnes of grains, this has increased at present to more than 9 million tonnes, said Peter Nagy, state secretary at MADR. Some 90 percent of this is exported via the Constanta port, he added.

The partnership between American giant Cargill and TTS goes back to 2008. (Sursa: business-review.eu)