More than 100 cargo ships were kept from loading agricultural goods in Argentina on Monday, as a wage strike by grains inspectors and oilseed workers stretched into its second week, paralyzing exports from one of the world's main bread baskets.
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 21 (Reuters) - More than 100 cargo ships were kept from loading agricultural goods in Argentina on Monday, as a wage strike by grains inspectors and oilseed workers stretched into its second week, paralyzing exports from one of the world's main bread baskets.
Argentina is the No. 1 international exporter of soymeal livestock feed used to fatten hogs and poultry from Europe to Southeast Asia. Contract talks between workers and export companies have broken down over compensation packages, with both sides accusing the other of intransigence.
"The strike continues without any expectation that negotiations will restart over the short term. We have more than 100 vessels waiting to be loaded," Gustavo Idigoras, head of Argentina's CIARA-CEC export companies chamber, told Reuters.
The strike started on Dec. 9 by the Argentine oilseed workers federation, the Urgara union representing port-side grains inspectors and the SOEA soy crushing workers union, based in the northern part of Argentina's main grains hub of Rosario, which ships about 80% of Argentina's farm exports.
#Argentina's #soybeans are most concentrated in Cordoba, Santa Fe & Buenos Aires. The 2020/21 crop is pegged @ ~50 mln tonnes (1.84 bln bu). That is roughly the estimated 2020 crop of the U.S. I-states plus Minnesota.
