With high levels of compliance, grain carriers closed the first day of the strike in protest of the sharp rise in diesel. There were demonstrations in various parts of the country and in major ports, and they warned that they would continue the demonstrations until a solution to the problem was found.

In particular, the request of the transporters is that the Participatory Negotiation Table be met which determines the reference rates for the transportation of grain, because They made sure the current price was too old due to the shortage and increase of diesel. They argued that they charge a calculated amount with a price of 102 pesos per liter of diesel, while the real price is from the official 112 to 200 pesos per liter.

“The only thing that can eliminate the strike is that a new rate is recognized,” said Valeria Pardo, a lawyer for the Federation of Argentine Transporters (Fetra).

Fetra remarked that the claim on the routes it is uninterrupted but it will definitely cause transit delays. The carriers’ strike was promoted by that entity because they considered it “made it impossible to continue working under reasonable conditions.”

As reported by the Federation, which brings together 300 grain transport chambers from around the country, So far they have no contact with the government. And they requested that the liaison table, which represents producers, be included in the negotiations to agree on a new rate. However, entities in the field rejected any contact type.

The Federation of Grain Collectors conducted a survey of prices charged in various provinces with fuel availability. Exactly, in Córdoba you get $ 170 per liter of diesel, one of the highest prices in the country. In central and north of Santa Fe, the cost is around $ 135 – $ 150; in Rosario, $ 144; in Entre Rios, $ 145 – $ 150; north of Buenos Aires, $ 135 – $ 140; in central Buenos Aires, $ 140, west of Buenos Aires, $ 170; south of Buenos Aires, $ 150; and in La Pampa, $ 140.

The start of the carrier’s claims, which affects 19 ports, coincides with the rainy season where it is not possible to advance in the harvest of coarse grains, so it is difficult to measure the true impact of the proposal.

But as reported from the ports of the great Rosario, the main node of the country where 80% of agro-exports are sent, now only 1,170 trucks entered, while the daily average last week was 6,000 units.

Given this situation, from the Chamber of Oil Industry of the Argentine Republic (Ciara) they claimed that the strike organized by the carriers severely affected the agro-industrial chain. “The government does not propose solutions to conflict or scarcity,” they pointed out.

In this sense, they again urged the Government to replace the missing diesel with biodiesel, raising the cut from 5% to 20%. “The state can also quickly solve the diesel shortage demanded by carriers, allowing for greater biodiesel production,” he said.

But despite the strong increase in the main input of truck drivers, from Fetra they explained that the protest also included the lack of security around the port; lack of infrastructure conditions at various accesses to Bulk Ports; conflicts formed by the refusal of certain freight forwarders, who abuse their position by refusing to pay a fair and reasonable amount; lack of regulation of the trigger clause.