Argentina grain exports halt as maritime pilots strike over Milei decree

More than 45 vessels have been affected by the strike at Argentinian ports.Published On 4 Aug 20264 Aug 2026A strike by maritime workers has prevented ships from entering and leaving Argentina’s grain ports, disrupting commercial activity in one of the world’s leading grain suppliers.Argentina is the largest exporter of soya bean products and a major exporter of corn and wheat, with most shipments moving through ports along the Parana River. Any bottleneck at its ports is a significant hit to the global food markets.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3EU trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc takes provisional effectlist 2 of 3Argentina’s grain harvest suffers under worst drought in 60 yearslist 3 of 3EU-Latin America trade deal: Who wins?end of listMaritime pilots walked off the job on Monday after the government published a decree on Friday that deregulated river navigation services.The decree, signed by Argentinian President Javier Milei, states, “It is necessary to enact a new ‘Regulation for Pilotage Services for the Rivers, Ports, Waterways, and Canals of the Argentine Republic’ that promotes the streamlining of procedures, the modernisation of regulatory req...