The strike of truck drivers of grain and derivatives in Argentinacalling for better prices for the fourth straight day amid diesel price hikes has crippled food exports, agricultural sources warned Thursday (14th).
“The entire agroexport complex is at a standstill. Argentina’s economy cannot afford this luxury,” said Gustavo Idígoras, president of the Chamber of the Oil Industry and Grain Exporters Center, in a statement.
Thousands of trucks halted transit or parked by the side of the road in Argentina, the world’s largest exporter of soybean flour and oil and one of the first in foreign sales of wheat, soybeans and corn, grossing about $35 billion (R$164 billion) in the Year 2021 according to official data.
The crisis erupted in the middle of the 20212022 crop of Argentina’s agriculture, driven by the appreciation of fuel under the influence of rising international prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fetra (Argentine Transport Companies Federation), organizer of the strike, said that “agricultural companies are denying the actual price of diesel that transport companies pay” and are demanding an increase in freight rates from agricultural employers.
The government convened a conciliatory meeting between the conflicting parties Fetra and the agricultural employers on Wednesday, but the dialogue broke down.
A liter of diesel is sold at gas stations for 110 pesos (R$4.58), but Fetra denounced that “there is a shortage” and that they started charging extra fees, bringing the price down to 191 pesos (R$7.95). R$) brought.
“The strike causes losses of about $100 million (R$470 million) per day, about 200 tons that are not unloaded at the port terminals. There are 50 ships waiting for us,” said Idígoras.
The entrepreneur admitted that there is not enough diesel for tractors and harvesters. Between 3,000 and 4,000 trucks enter the terminals every day, and only a dozen enter, Idígoras revealed.