Indigenous Protesters Seize Cargill Port in Brazil Over Amazon Dredging

(MENAFN) Indigenous demonstrators in Brazil have occupied a shipping terminal operated by US agribusiness giant Cargill, protesting plans to dredge Amazon waterways and expand port infrastructure, according to reports.

Brazil, the world’s leading exporter of soybeans and corn, has been pursuing upgrades to its river transport network to streamline exports. The protest action followed nearly a month of demonstrations outside the company’s terminal in Santarem, located in Para state, before activists moved into the company’s offices over the weekend.

In a statement, Cargill confirmed that operations at the site had been suspended, attributing the disruption to an “ongoing dispute between government authorities and Indigenous communities.”

The protesters are demanding the reversal of a decree signed in August by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, which identified Amazonian rivers as priority zones for shipping and port development. Indigenous groups oppose the planned port expansions and dredging, arguing that the rivers are central to their livelihoods and cultural survival.

Alessandra Korap, a leader from the Munduruku Indigenous community, said demonstrators “will only leave if Lula and the government overturn and revoke the decree.”

Activists also staged protests outside Cargill’s offices in Sao Paulo on Friday. One protester, Thiago Guarani, warned, “When they start dredging the river and causing pollution, the river will cease to be a common good for all humanity and will become the property of a single individual.”

Earlier this month, authorities announced the suspension of dredging activities in the Tapajos River, a major Amazon tributary, following Indigenous-led demonstrations. Cargill has urged both the government and protesters to engage in a “constructive dialogue.”

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