(Bloomberg) — Local protesters have occupied a Cargill Inc. export terminal in Brazil’s Amazon region at the height of the soybean harvest, escalating a standoff that has affected shipments from one of the country’s key export hubs and drawing condemnation from trade groups.
The protesters, members of indigenous groups, stormed the facility in the Port of Santarém overnight Friday in Pará state, according to the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.
The incident comes amid protests by 14 indigenous tribes in the region against the launch of a public bidding for dredging the Tapajós River and a decree signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that paves the way for the privatization of the management of three rivers across the Amazon, totaling about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
“We urge the parties directly involved to prioritize safety, engage in constructive dialogue, and work towards a solution that allows for the safe resumption of operations and the continued transport of food to where it is needed,” Cargill said in a statement.
The terminal in Brazil’s Para state is part of an array of Amazon ports that ship over 40% of Brazil’s corn and soybeans. The country is currently harvesting soy, and activity at the ports in the region is key to keep exports flowing this time of year. Protesters previously blocked roads and land access to Cargill’s terminal, halting the unloading of soybeans from trucks, and also briefly shut down the entrance to Santarém airport, one of the region’s main transport hubs.
“The attempt to intimidate companies and workers through violence surpasses any democratic limit,” the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest manufacturing association, said in a statement. “Acts of this nature affront the right to property, threaten jobs, put lives at risk, and erode the legal security that sustains investment and development.”
–With assistance from Mariana Durao and Daniel Carvalho.
