Market News & Headlines >> Road to Brazil's Second Largest Port Still Blocked

The main access road to Brazil’s second largest grain export port of Paranagua remained blocked by political protesters on Tuesday, according to a statement from the port authority, Reuters News Service reported.

Blockades in the area were first reported on Monday afternoon after similar demonstrations erupted throughout the country as supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro protested against his narrow election loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Truckers, one of Bolsonaro's key constituencies, benefited from policies to lower fuel prices and have previously disrupted the Brazilian economy by shutting highways in recent years.

According to the federal highway police on Tuesday morning, protesters were blocking highways partially or fully in more than 200 locations, as part of demonstrations that have spread to 21 of Brazil's 27 states. They said another 192 roadblocks had been cleared.

Farm states like Santa Catarina, where many meatpackers operate, and Mato Grosso, Brazil's biggest grain producer, were among the most affected by the protests that started after polls closed on Sunday, police data showed. Reuters reported on Tuesday afternoon that meatpackers in Santa Catarina were facing disruptions to arrivals of animals for slaughter and shipping products to market. A source told Reuters some pork and poultry processors may have to halt slaughter at some sites starting Wednesday if the protests continue.

However, the port authority at Santos, Latin America's biggest port, and Brazil’s largest grain export port, said things were normal as protests had not disrupted its terrestrial operations, according to a statement sent to Reuters.