RIO DE JANEIRO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of truck drivers blocked highways across Brazil for the third straight day on Wednesday, to protest the increasing price of diesel fuel.
According to the federal highway police, blockades were registered in at least 22 states and the Federal District.
In certain areas, protests took place outside oil refineries, with truck drivers stopping tanker trucks from exiting to supply gas stations.
This prolonged blockade has begun to have an impact on other sectors of the economy and in various parts of Brazil.
Local media have reported that a number of gas stations have run out of fuel in states such as Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and the Federal District.
In the city of Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, transport companies have reduced the numbers of vehicles on the road while the northeastern states of Ceara and Sergipe have reported produce missing from food warehouses.
In Rio de Janeiro, certain foodstuffs have seen their prices skyrocket while German automaker Volkswagen has halted production at its plant in Sao Paulo due to a lack of auto parts.
The postal service has also suspended timed deliveries across the country.
The truck drivers are protesting increasing diesel prices, announced by Petrobras, due to rising international prices.
Since July 2017, Brazilian fuel prices have been subject to market influences while Petrobras formerly controlled prices independently.
Petrobras announced on Wednesday that diesel prices would be lowered by 1.54 percent in refineries.
However, prices of gasoline have climbed 8 percent so far in 2018, according to the National Petroleum Agency, far above the inflation rate of 0.92 percent.
The Brazilian finance minister, Eduardo Guardia, explained earlier that the government would also eliminate one of the taxes on diesel to lower its prices although this requires congressional approval.
