Brazil has been unable to promptly unload wheat shipments at its key Santos port as agricultural tax collectors work to rule in a campaign for higher wages, local association Abitrigo said on Jan. 6.
Abitrigo’s head Rubens Barbosa told Reuters that so far two vessels carrying imported wheat had their unloading operations delayed due to the protest.
One of the vessels was unloaded but the shipment was not yet cleared by officials, he said, while the other one needs to wait for these procedures to be concluded so it can discharge.
Brazil is one of the world’s largest wheat importers, buying its cereal mainly from Argentina. The country, however, has just finished harvesting a record wheat crop and is also exporting large amounts of the commodity.
The full impact of the delays was not immediately clear, nor which companies were affected. Abitrigo said Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry is working to solve the issue.
The ministry, the Santos port authority and tax collectors’ union Anffa Sindical did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
