By Ana Mano and Roberto Samora
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Farmers in Brazil’s biggest farm state are concerned that agricultural exports could be affected by road blockades by truckers protesting the result of Sunday’s election, the head of a state farm lobby told Reuters on Monday.
Normando Corral, president of farm group Famato, said the roadblocks in the top grains-growing state of Mato Grosso, could disrupt agricultural shipments if they persist. One of the state’s main export this time of year is Brazil’s winter corn crop, which is planted after soybeans are harvested
“It’s too soon to say if it’s going to interfere with the flow of production, because the blockades started yesterday,” Corral said. “I don’t know how long it will last.”
President Jair Bolsonaro has not made public remarks about his electoral defeat more than half a day after electoral authorities confirmed the victory of his leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
His hardline supporters took to social media on Sunday night calling for truckers to block roads to protest the result, and highway operators reported blockades scattered around Brazil’s farm belt.
Concessionaria Rota do Oeste, a toll road operator that administers an 850-km road stretch of the BR 163 highway that cuts through Mato Grosso, said there were blockages in the regions of Nova Mutum, Sorriso, Sinop and Lucas do Rio Verde.
Santos and Paranagua ports, where most of Brazil’s grains are exported, told Reuters the protests have not affected cargo movement.
Evandro Lermen, a member of grain cooperative Coacen in the Brazilian ‘soy capital’ Sorriso, Mato Grosso, told Reuters corn shipments were not being disrupted by the protests.
He said trucks had not been not loaded with corn over the weekend because of a Nov. 2 national holiday.
“We are not worried,” he said, adding that shipping schedules showed no delays.
(Reporting by Ana Mano and Roberto SamoraEditing by Brad Haynes)
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