A small group of truckers continue to paralyze grain exports from Argentina's Quequen port, the nation's ports chamber said on Monday, despite most of the sector accepting new rates after a more-than-week-long strike held up at least $450 million in shipments.
KEY CONTEXT
• Truckers began a strike on April 7, blocking access to Bahia Blanca and Quequen ports, demanding rate increases after fuel prices rose nearly 30% this year due to the Middle East conflict.
• More than 30 ships were left waiting with between 700,000 and 1.5 million tons of grains held up for over two weeks, the ports chamber said.
• Most national trucker chambers agreed between April 15 and 17 to reference rates to compensate the cost increases.
• Operations in Bahia Blanca normalized with security forces' support, but some Quequen truckers have carried on with the blockade, the chamber said.
• Operations in the port area of Rosario, which handles more than 80% of the country’s grain exports, were unaffected.
(Reuters)