BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Truckers in Argentina, seeking higher rates for grain and livestock transport, began an open-ended strike on April 11 with no new negotiations on the schedule, even as a key part of the harvest season for corn and soybeans begins and exporters take stock of the potential impact, Reuters reported.

Argentina is the world’s leading exporter of soy derivatives and second-largest corn exporter. Even with few trucks arriving at ports, the strike’s start did not immediately affect grain exports, traders said, as they usually have enough inventory to cover several days of shipments.

About 85% of Argentina’s grain volume is transported by truck from fields to the country’s ports. The Buenos Aires grains exchange has estimated a yield of 42 million tonnes of soybeans and 49 million tonnes of corn for the current harvest.

Although the government, truckers and farm groups agreed on new rates in early February for transporting grains, the transportation union FETRA said in a statement that increases in the price of diesel in Argentina, which is in the grip of severe inflation, have made it “impossible to continue working under reasonable conditions.”