The truckers’ strike which brought Brazil to a standstill at the end of May has caused losses of at least R$4.28bn (US$1.1bn) to the fruit, dairy, poultry and pork sectors according to information collected by producer associations and the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock.
This includes losses of R$920m (US$242m) to fruit and vegetable production as drivers were forced to discard goods on the roads and in the fields.
Brazilian fruit producer and exporter association Abrafrutas said papaya, mango, table grapes, guava and acerola were the most affected crops.
A study by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) suggests that the final tally may be much higher.
Ipea’s José Ronaldo de Castro Souza Júnior said the initial estimate was a conservative analysis and that the fall out could be far greater since difficult-to-verify data such as future and indirect effects of the 11-day stoppage had not been taken into account during the calculation.
