LISBON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of tractors and agricultural vehicles blocked National Road 260 in the southern Serpa municipality on Friday in protest against high diesel prices and insufficient government support, causing a traffic queue of about 2 km and halting freight trucks entering from Spain.
The demonstration, organized by the Serpa Agricultural Producers Association, began at 0800 local time (0700 GMT) on the EN260, which links Beja with the Spanish border at Vila Verde de Ficalho. Only trucks carrying urgent cargo from Spain were allowed to pass.
Farmers called for greater government support ahead of the upcoming planting season, saying high fuel costs are making their operations unviable.
Agriculture minister Jose Manuel Fernandes played down the protest, saying demonstrations were natural but would not resolve the underlying issues.
"I understand the difficulties of farmers, where the right word is unpredictability, and we have to prepare ourselves to have slack for that unpredictability," he said. ■
