Truck owners in Argentina have ended a strike that had halted grain exports and led to a queue last Friday of nearly 100 cargo ships at the port of Rosario – from where a majority of the country’s soy and grain exports leave Argentina – a 40% rise on the Thursday number.
The truckers have agreed to meet with transportation authorities later this month to resolve their differences, the government said at the weekend. A week-long strike had brought exports to almost a complete halt.
Guillermo Campra, a director with the Transport Ministry, told Reuters that “we agreed to meet with four [of the striking truck owners] … as soon as they informed us that the strike had been lifted”, he said, noting that “unfortunately, they decided to protest in this way without first seeking dialogue.” Argentina’s Security Ministry said on Friday that 12 truckers had been detained for using “extortionist methods” and “throwing large quantities of grain in the road.”
The meeting between the truck owners and the government is scheduled for February 23rd. Truck owners want the adoption of mandatory minimum grain hauling rates