Argentina partially resumes corn exports amid strike

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Argentina's Agriculture Ministry announced Monday corn exports will partially resume, reversing a previous decision.

The move came amid the beginning of a three-day strike which was called by the Liaison Table -- a group of four producers representing the bulk of the country's agricultural sector -- against the government's Dec. 30 decision to halt corn exports for two months to control the domestic price levels.

The decision was taken after negotiations with representatives of the Argentine Agroindustrial Council, the ministry said in a statement, adding the council guaranteed that there is enough corn to supply the domestic market.

The ministry said the supply of corn to different sectors of the production chain is guaranteed, while "the conditions of accessibility to said supply have yet to be resolved, not only in terms of quantity but also of prices, and attentive to the agreement of the Agroindustrial Council, it is decided to temporarily annul the measure of suspension of records of affidavits of corn sales abroad."

Corn exports may not exceed 30,000 tons per day, it noted.

The ministry also voiced concern regarding "the impact of the prices of this raw material on different food processing chains on the table of Argentines".

It remains unclear whether the strike will continue or be lifted as the Liaison Table made no statement on the ministry's latest move.

Argentina is one of the main corn producers in the world along with the US, China, and Brazil.