BUENOS AIRES, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Argentine farmers blocked several rural highways intermittently on Tuesday, the fifth day of a strike against government farm policy that has revived a bitter conflict over soy export taxes.
Farmers will halt sales of cattle and grains during the strike, which has paralyzed local agricultural markets this week. Some farmers want to extend the strike beyond Friday, but farm leaders have said it should end as planned.
"There's deep discontent among the people (but) my impression is that the strike won't continue," said Ricardo Buryaile, vice president of the Argentine Rural Confederations group.
Argentina is a top global supplier of corn, wheat and soy, but industry analysts do not see the current strike disrupting its multimillion dollar exports because most soy-crushing plants have stocks and because the harvest is already over.
A tax hike on soy exports triggered the farming standoff in March 2008, but farmers are also disgruntled with export curbs and price controls in local markets. The new protest was sparked by the president's veto of part of a drought-aid law.
A severe drought in much of Argentina's farm areas badly affected the last grains harvest and is threatening this year's wheat and corn crop, heightening anti-government sentiment.
Local television showed groups of farmers blocking roads in several rural areas and some vowed to step up protests.
"I don't know if we're going to give up because we're pretty furious," one farmer told TN television in the Olavarria district of central Buenos Aires province.
However, the latest strike has been low-key compared with last year's protests, which hit local financial markets and tested President Cristina Fernandez. (Reporting by Nicolas Misculin; Writing by Helen Popper; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)