Roadblocks halt deliveries and delay car and dairy production

The protests that blocked roads in at least 18 states on Monday (31) caused delays in deliveries and made it difficult to produce items such as automobiles and dairy products. Businessmen from various sectors ask for the release of the roads, blocked by acts of supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) who reject the victory of Lula (PT) in the presidential elections.

Braspress, one of the main parcel carriers in the country, had an impact on more than 60% of its operations this Monday. In units such as the one located on the outskirts of Florianópolis (SC), vehicles were unable to leave, as there were blocks nearby.

“This morning, we had 40 trucks blocked. And we decided to retain part of the fleet at the origin, to avoid risks to property, cargo and employees”, says Luiz Carlos Lopes, the company’s director of operations.

“It will take a few days to regularize everything. Let’s hope that this will be dissipated soon. Our company is against these movements. This does not solve the country’s problem. Lopes.

In Porto Real (RJ), Stellantis suspended production this Monday morning, due to a blockage on the highway that gives access to the industrial complex, preventing the arrival of employees and parts. The factory, which is located near Via Dutra, in the region of Resende (RJ), produces engines and cars for the Citroën and Peugeot brands and employs around 1,800 people.

In Rio Grande do Sul, one of the states hardest hit by the lockdowns, dairy farmers fear the lockdowns will prevent them from getting fresh milk from farms to factories, something that needs to be done within 48 hours.

In Curitiba, the universities UniCuritiba and Tuiuti do Paraná announced the suspension of face-to-face classes, today and tomorrow, which will be broadcast via the internet. Garbage collection in the metropolitan region may be delayed, starting tomorrow, due to difficulty in accessing the sanitary landfill. Metropolitan bus lines need to make detours and delay schedules.

The city hall prepares a contingency plan, if necessary, with changes in routes for municipal lines. At the bus station in the capital of Paraná, 45 trips were canceled because of roadblocks, which add up to 64 points across the state, earlier this Monday night.

“The blockades gained strength today after noon. If they are resolved by noon tomorrow, we will have few problems. But if we go beyond that, the producer will have a loss. We will start to live in a situation of chaos that nobody needs now”, says Darlan Palharini, executive secretary of Sindilat, a state union for the sector.

“We are waiting for President Bolsonaro to take a stand. The silence that ends up generating all this insecurity. And we see that this movement does not have a clear agenda or a leader”, continues Palharini.

The construction industry also fears trouble if the protest continues to close the country’s roads. According to the president of the CBIC (Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry), José Carlos Martins, the sector will be affected if the roads are blocked for more than three days.

“We believe that this should not grow. For truck drivers, this is a shot in the foot. At the end of the month is when the highest volume of cargo has to be delivered. We have just come out of a long weekend. This cannot continue beyond today [segunda]”, defends Carlos Pazan, president of Fetcesp (Federation of Cargo Transport Companies of SP). “The federations are totally against the blockades.”

The CNT (National Transport Confederation) also criticized the acts. “Any type of blockade does not contribute to the activities of the transport sector and, consequently, to the development of Brazil,” the agency said in a statement.

Alshop (Brazilian Association of Shopkeepers) is betting on the end of the protests by this Tuesday (31). “As we are almost at the beginning of November, many stores already have stocks for Christmas, it will not affect the supply”, says Luis Augusto Ildefonso, institutional director of the entity.

Abrasce (Brazilian Association of Shopping Malls) informs that mall operations are continuing normally and believes that “soon, we will have a peaceful resolution to the case”.

Apas (Associação Paulista de Supermercados) has been closely monitoring the supply chain through reports from the Federal Highway Police and reports from its more than 4,500 associated supermarkets. Until Monday afternoon (31), there was no abnormality due to road blocks or shortages of products.

“As a contingency measure, Apas has guided the associated supermarkets, when possible, to anticipate the logistics of their stores and distribution centers in order to ensure that the sector can supply society safely and without interruption, regardless of future developments. “, the association said in a statement.

Ceagesp registered no impact on the arrival of food and other products at the Vila Leopoldina warehouse on Monday.

The fuel supply has not been affected yet. “Up to the present date, the supply of fuels is taking place on a regular basis, without restrictions for the service to the final consumer”, said the ANP (National Petroleum Agency), in a note.

Fuel sector executives told the report that the blockades affect the transport of products, but there was still not enough time to deplete stocks at the stations.

However, there can be problems if the blocks remain for more days. In this case, regions further away from the country’s refineries, which are concentrated near the coast, may be affected first, since the transport of fuels to the interior of the country is mostly done by trucks.