Brazil government seeks to clear truckers' pro-Bolsonaro blockades - Reuters Canada

SAO PAULO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian authorities sought connected Tuesday to curtail truckers' blockages protesting the country's statesmanlike predetermination results aft signs they were disrupting substance distribution, nutrient production, and the quality to nonstop grains to port.

Blockades were archetypal reported connected Sunday amid spreading demonstrations by truckers and different supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, challenging his narrow predetermination loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Truckers, 1 of Bolsonaro's cardinal constituencies and who benefited from his policies to little substance prices, person antecedently disrupted the Brazilian system by shutting highways successful caller years.

Some truckers person called for subject involution to support Bolsonaro successful power. The president gave a little statement Tuesday afternoon, the archetypal since the Sunday vote, and said the protests reflected dissatisfaction with the electoral process, but said helium would abide by the constitution, which stipulates a modulation of powerfulness of Jan. 1.

Bolsonaro did not concede defeat, but his main of unit said their squad would statesman the process of modulation to a Lula government.

Bolsonaro said successful his speech that protesters should debar destroying spot oregon "impeding the close to travel and go," but did not archer them to spell home.

The country's Infrastructure Ministry said successful a day-end connection that it was asking protesters' "support" to debar proviso shortages.

"We are moving for the escaped question of radical and vehicles to beryllium resumed arsenic soon arsenic possible. In summation to ensuring the close of our colonisation to travel and go, it is indispensable to support the cognition of indispensable services and roadworthy freight transport," the ministry said.

Protesters were blocking highways partially oregon afloat successful astir 190 locations arsenic of Tuesday evening, according to the national road police, but that was down somewhat from the fig of blockages earlier. Police said immoderate 419 roadblocks had been cleared.

Earlier, protesters blocked the main entree roadworthy to the important atom export larboard of Paranagua for a 2nd day.

Meanwhile, poultry and pork processors whitethorn person to halt slaughtering astatine immoderate sites arsenic aboriginal arsenic Wednesday, a root said.

In Santa Catarina, 1 of the states hardest deed by the protests, determination were disruptions to deliveries of animals for slaughter and shipment of products to markets, a section hog growers lobby said.

Fuel organisation was successful "a captious situation," said Valeria Lima, downstream manager astatine vigor lobby IBP, adding that she believed the authorities should signifier a situation committee to tackle the protesters.

The IBP said determination was a precocious hazard of substance shortages successful Santa Catarina and Parana, and imaginable disruptions successful Sao Paulo, Brazil's richest state.

Rumo (RAIL3.SA), a starring obstruction company, told Reuters the protests had lowered the fig of trucks astatine definite of its terminals, portion determination were immoderate disruptions successful sections of the railroad successful Morretes, Parana, and successful Joinville, Santa Catarina.

Mato Grosso, Brazil's biggest atom producer, was among the astir affected by the roadblocks that started aft polls closed connected Sunday, constabulary information showed, with astatine slightest 25 blockades oregon partial blockades connected Tuesday afternoon.

The larboard authorization astatine Santos, Latin America's biggest port, reiterated successful the day that things remained mean arsenic protests had not disrupted its onshore operations.

Reporting by Ana Mano, André Romani, Marta Nogueira and Nayara Figueiredo Editing by Alistair Bell, Rosalba O'Brien and Leslie Adler

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