In Brazil, significant agribusiness groups have supported new laws that facilitate infrastructure development, including roads and waterways, through the Amazon rainforest. However, these initiatives are now facing a strong backlash, particularly in critical routes for the export of corn and soy. Hundreds of members from 14 Indigenous tribes have been blocking land access to a Cargill port terminal near the confluence of the Amazon and Tapajós rivers for over three weeks, halting the unloading of soy trucks.

Earlier this month, protesters briefly closed the entrance to Santarém airport in Pará, a vital transportation hub in the region. Their protests are directed against a public bidding process for dredging the Tapajós River and against a decree signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that paves the way for the privatization of management over three rivers in the Amazon, totaling around 4,000 kilometers. Both initiatives have been supported by the new legislation passed to favor agribusiness interests, leading to increasing tensions between Indigenous rights and economic development mandates.

The situation highlights the ongoing conflict in Brazil between natural resource exploitation and Indigenous land rights, particularly in the context of agribusiness, which plays a crucial role in the country’s economy. As global demand for agricultural products rises, there is a growing concern over the environmental impacts of such legislation and the preservation of Indigenous territories in the Amazon, prompting calls for more sustainable practices and respect for Indigenous rights.