Many Peruvian truckers affiliated with the National Union of Transporters and Drivers (GNTC) joined a nationwide strike that started in March. The strike was called to protest against soaring fuel costs. The overall aim of the protests is to build a solution with the Peruvian government to stabilize fuel prices by reducing taxes or providing subsidies. In addition to a significant rise in fuel costs, truckers have been hit with a tax on cargo vehicles, further aggravating the situation.
The protests have caused large pile-ups of vehicles, resulting in road closures and travel disruption on several highway routes. As a result, top food producers are struggling to transport perishable produce, including avocados and pomegranate, the top produced commodities in Peru.
Also, producers have missed their reserved spaces on vessels, thus customers are expected to face delays to orders throughout April. According to the Association of Agricultural Producers Guilds of Peru (AGAP), the strikes have affected the entire agricultural export chain.
Source: mintecglobal.com
