Overview
- The provincial Ministry of Transport issued a laudo that set a 16% increase in the reference freight tariff for grain, a decision taken during the Comisión de Transporte de Granos meeting and reported on November 12.
- CARBAP, Coninagro and the Centro de Acopiadores formally rejected the laudo as arbitrary and recorded their repudiation in the meeting minutes because the rate exceeds both shippers' offers and carriers' requests.
- Dadores de carga had proposed increases of 8.3% and later 11.5% based on their cost calculations while transport associations sought rises above 15%, leaving the 16% figure higher than the shippers' last offer and close to carriers' demands.
- Producers warn the laudo undermines the Mesa de Transportes negotiation forum by effectively rewarding pressure tactics such as past blockades, which critics say could encourage future protest-driven gains.
- The dispute has no clear resolution and could materially affect farm margins, since higher freight reference rates come as wheat is being harvested and the main crop season approaches.