Truckers continued to block roads in key Brazilian agricultural states in the ninth day of a strike, disrupting the flow of food and fuel despite a government offer presented to protest leaders a day before. According to the federal highways police, there were blockages on 91 roads in nine states by early afternoon, including top grains producers Mato Grosso and Parana, where the soybean harvest is peaking. Brazil's government told truckers and transport companies it would extend a year of free financing for vehicles from a state development bank and help truckers and transport companies work out a framework for setting freight rates. Before the government offers, road blocks were seen on 94 roads in 10 states. Although the flow of trucks was normal in Brazil's richest state of Sao Paulo, which guaranteed normal operations at the country's main port of Santos, other important export hubs further south were affected. In Paranagua, the second-largest grains exporting port, only 28 trucks arrived to deliver corn and soybeans on Thursday morning, compared to 950 trucks on a normal morning at this time of year. "The port has soybeans in silos to continue loading operations up to March 2. After that we do not know," said Paranagua spokesman Pedro Brodbeck. The Rio Grande port, Brazil's third-largest grains export corridor, said operations have been lightly affected. "Terminals reported initial difficulties to complete loadings of vessels this morning", said Andre Zenobini, the port's spokesman. "They are afraid the problems could grow over the weekend, if the situation does not change." There were "advances" on grievances, said Cinthia Alves, a press representative for the National Independent Transporters Association (CNTA), one of the entities representing truckers. Alves said CNTA would suggest truckers end blockages that have disrupted food and fuel supplies in order to make progress in the next round of negotiations scheduled for March 10. However, some groups such as the National Transport Command, led by Ivar Luiz Schmidt, were unwilling to call off the strike. "We don't accept it," said Schmidt, who claims to hold sway over the majority of striking truckers. He said the government had excluded his organization from the negotiating table. President Dilma Rousseff said that truckers are still considering the full set of proposals. She said she believes that most of them will be receptive to the offers.  (Reuters)