BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) has acquired a grain and oilseeds storage facility in Santa Elena, Entre Ríos province, Argentina, supporting its operations along the Paraná River. Financial terms of the acquisition announced April 11 were not disclosed.

The facility features a barge port with a shipping capacity of 450 tonnes per hour, which LDC said will offer competitive alternatives for shipping products to its two port complexes in Santa Fe province at Timbúes and General Lagos, 260 km (161 miles) and 320 km (199 miles) south by river, respectively, of Santa Elena.

Soybeans and other high-oleic grains grown in Entre Ríos province — such as camelina, canola and sunflower — will be shipped to the Timbúes port complex, where new equipment is being installed to process these soft commodities starting in 2026, complementing existing soybean milling and port operations, LDC said.

“The continued expansion of our origination capacity in the Argentine interior further strengthens our ability to work closely with producers, facilitating supply chain traceability all the way to the field,” said Juan Tizado, regional head of grains and oilseeds origination for South and West Latin America at LDC.

With static grain storage capacity of 22,000 tonnes and an additional 55,000 tonnes in silo bags, Santa Elena also will house a commercial office. LDC said the site will offer local producers the company’s wide range of logistical and financial services and sustainability advice, such as support in meeting certification requirements and adopting regenerative agriculture practices. Additionally, seeds, fertilizers and crop protection products marketed under the Macro Seed, Macro Fertil and Macro Protect Group brands will be sold.

The storage facility and commercial office will be ready to receive the next summer crop harvest by mid-April, LDC said. Once fully operational, the plant will employ an average of 10 people, increasing to about 15 during peak harvest.