Brazil to expand Amazon River flow for year-round soy and corn exports

Brazilian regulators have given the green light to a canal through 35 kilometers of rocky rapids, transforming this stretch of Amazon rainforest into a highway for Brazil’s booming tropical agricultural exports, Reuters reports. Opening the Araguaia-Tocantins riverway to year-round shipping could pave the way for soybean and corn exports through the Amazon Basin and compete with the Mississippi River, reducing shipping costs and bolstering Brazil’s dominance in global grain trade. However, federal prosecutors are seeking to halt the $7.3 billion project, which includes another 110 miles of dredging, as they urge courts to consider the impact on coastal communities. During a court hearing at the site in late September, local fishermen told three visiting magistrates that they were concerned that dangerous shipping was encroaching on their fishing grounds. The Brazilian government predicts that the Araguaia-Tocantins river route could begin transporting approximately 20 million tons ...