Marcos Chagas
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – In 2003 the US multinational Cargill built a port near the junction of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers in the city of Santarém, state of Pará. The port is used to ship grains.

Although the port has been operating for three years, a federal court has now ordered a formal Environmental Impact Study (Estudo de Impacto Ambiental) (EIA), which was not required by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the state of Pará when construction of the port began.

According to government attorneys who filed the suit against Cargill, the company ignored an archaeological site near the port and possible ecological damages to the Tapajós River.

The port area extends for 580 meters along the banks of the Tapajós River and was built at a cost of US$9.4 million. Cargill is expected to appeal the decision to a higher court.

Translation: Allen Bennett