Brasília – Brazil’s federal government has included five state-run fishing ports in its privatization effort, the Investment Privatizations Program (PPI). A decree published in the Official Gazette this Tuesday (28) provides that ports in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte; Aracaju, Sergipe (pictured); Vitória, Espírito Santo; and Santos and Cananeia, in the state of São Paulo.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply is tasked with tendering the ports. The secretariat-general to the president said the move is part of an ongoing shift in the fishing port management model which began last May. “Attracting private investment into these facilities is key in modernizing and operationalizing the ports, thereby enabling the necessary conditions for the development of the fishing industry,” a press release from the Ministry read.
According to the administration, Brazil’s 2019 fishing industry output was approximately 722,000 tons. Public fishing ports are brick-and-mortar facilities where fish and seafood are handled and stored, commercialized and processed, and support is given to vessel navigation. Fishing ports comprise wharves, docks, piers, bridges, land tracts, refrigerated warehouses, buildings, and underwater protection and access infrastructure.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
