São Paulo – In the second half of October, the Brazilian government is expected to launch a concession program for the private sector to invest in building new ports and improve infrastructure at existing ones. According to the president of the Planning and Logistics Company (EPL, in the Portuguese acronym), Bernardo Figueiredo, the goal is to lower product shipping costs by 30% in order to make exports cheaper.
Studies indicate that the sector currently requires R$ 30 billion to R$ 40 billion in funds. “Whenever possible, the new terminals will be built with features equal to those available to our competitors overseas. If we are going to compete internationally, then we must have costs similar to theirs,” Bernardo Figueiredo, who also spoke in favour of investment in river locks by way of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
