The president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, raised the possibility of exporting rice through Brazil instead of through the ports of his country, as he had highlighted when he participated in the inauguration of the harvest. According to the Uruguayan president, “sovereignty is not weakened” if producers need to use foreign ports because they are cheaper; on the contrary, he believes that Uruguay would benefit. “If we have to take port cargo through Brazil because it is cheaper for the eastern region, it will be better for our country,” he said, according to a note from the Uruguayan Presidency. The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries of Uruguay, Carlos María Uriarte, said that on the president’s last visit to Brazil “he renewed his hopes” and that he looks forward to the completion of the Merín lagoon waterway. The official said that this work will represent extra benefits for soybeans and forestry, as well as for the rice sector. As for the Merin Lagoon waterway, the President of Uruguay considered it a fundamental initiative and, likewise, indicated that the Brazilian authorities agreed that it is a good initiative.
Source: Portal Portuário/Datamar News