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COMMERCIAL barge traffic on southern reaches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertiliser and other commodities, Reuters reports.
This comes as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest US cash crops, is ramping up and demand for food and fuel have sent inflation soaring.
Around 100 tow boats hauling some 1,600 barges were lined up for miles waiting to pass through one trouble spot near Lake Providence, Louisiana, that has been mostly closed since late last week, shipping sources said.
At least two other sections of the lower Mississippi have also been closed at times, disrupting the flow of grain to US Gulf Coast export terminals, where some 60 per cent of corn, soybean and wheat exports leave the country.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is dredging the river to deepen the shipping channel to allow some cargo to pass. But shippers fear that without substantial rain, the logjam will persist well into the busiest grain export period of the year. Products such as road salt are also hauled north ahead of winter.
https://www.shippingazette.com/menu.asp?encode=eng
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