MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trucks strike threatens Argentine cereal exports and soy crushing industry

Rosario is responsible for exporting 80% of agricultural products, and 56% fewer trucks arrived on Monday than had a week earlier

A protest by grain transporters in Argentina could leave exporters and crushers operating without soy, corn and wheat, an industry group said on Monday.

Owners of trucks protesting for higher freight rates have slowed transport of grains in one of the world’s top producers, cutting into stocks, said Andres Alcarez, spokesman for export company chamber CIARA-CEC.

 “The stored stock of grains from the plants or the ports to embark or to process is going extinct,” Alcaraz pointed out. He said that the companies have grain supplies to last for one or two days should shipments halt completely.

In the Rosario port complex, responsible for exporting 80% of agricultural products, 56% fewer trucks arrived on Monday than had a week earlier, according to the Rosario Grains exchange.

Argentina is the world’s top exporter of soy meal and soy oil, the No. 3 corn producer and a main provider of wheat.