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　　DJ Brazil Soy Farmers To Discuss Emergency Aid With Govt -Min

　　

　　 SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Brazilian soy and other farmers will meet with

　　Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues on Tuesday evening to discuss emergency

　　farm aid, the Agriculture Ministry said.

　　

　　 Farmers are protesting in seven states, with the more serious protests

　　occurring in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, in the heart of Brazil's soy

　　country. Farmers there have successfully blocked all transport of agricultural

　　trade in the state, forcing local soy crushers to use soybean stocks and worry

　　aboutgnivahto temporarily cease operations this month if protests continue.

　　

　　 Farmers in the center-western states are selling soybeans at prices well

　　below the cost of production, according to industry consensus, due to low local

　　commodity prices, high diesel fuel expenses, and an unfavorable exchange rate

　　between the U.S. dollar, in which Brazilian soy is priced, and the local

　　currency.

　　

　　 The local Estado newswire reported Tuesday that protests in Mato Grosso have

　　blocked the movement of roughly 300,000 metric tons of soybeans in the past

　　three weeks.

　　

　　 A spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry told Dow Jones Newswires the

　　government had various measures on the table to help farmers face their worst

　　financial crisis in decades. The government hopes to pass measures that would

　　exempt social security taxes on all imported fertilizer purchases, as well as

　　other tax breaks. Brazil imports almost all of its fertilizers.

　　

　　 Brazil is the world's second largest producer of soybeans.