The soybean producers of the Center West sell their grains mainly to trading companies. In the
southern soybean production regions producers frequently sell to cooperatives that also act as
traders. In some cases, intermediaries like local elevators or commodity brokers participate in the
grain origination process. In other cases soybeans are directly sold from the production site to
soybean processors or exporters (MAPA, 2007, p. 66). Together, the national process chain involves
private service providers such as trading companies, brokers and warehouse operators, as
well as freight forwarders, transporters, and bankers on the one hand, but also public agencies
like customs, port authorities and transport regulators on the other hand.