Brazil Cancels Amazon Waterway Plan After Indigenous Protesters Occupy Cargill Port

Brazil's government announced it will cancel a controversial decree that would have expanded Amazon river privatization after Indigenous protesters took over a Cargill grain terminal. The protesters argued the policy would harm water quality and their fishing livelihoods through increased dredging operations.

The Brazilian government announced Monday it will cancel a controversial policy that would have expanded privatization of Amazon waterways, following the takeover of a major grain shipping facility by Indigenous demonstrators.

Indigenous groups had occupied a Cargill grain terminal on the Tapajos River over the weekend, bringing operations at the Santarem port facility in Para state to a halt. The demonstrators had been protesting outside the terminal for several weeks before moving inside the facility.

The protesters opposed an August government decree that they said would lead to increased dredging of Amazon rivers including the Tapajos. They argued such operations would damage water quality and threaten the fishing that provides their primary food source. The waterways are crucial shipping routes for soybeans, corn and other agricultural products heading to international markets.

Guilherme Boulos, who heads Brazil’s presidential secretariat, confirmed the policy reversal while explaining the protesters’ concerns. “Indigenous people have been demonstrating for more than 30 days, questioning the decree and pointing out the effects it could have on their communities,” Boulos stated.

Demonstrators at the Cargill terminal cheered when they learned of the announcement, according to witnesses. However, a local Indigenous leader said the group would continue occupying the facility until the government officially publishes the decree’s cancellation in the federal register.

Cargill has not yet provided a statement regarding the situation at their Santarem terminal.