From the Newsroom
São Paulo – This week Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva chaired a series of meetings with ministers and heads of government organizations, such as the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Revenue Service, to evaluate the situation of country transport infrastructure and determine investment up to the end of the year. One of the central objectives is to guarantee the transport of export products, especially agricultural products, which should break a new record this year.
The main measures announced as a result of these meetings were the recovery of highways, an improvement in ports, and the need for private investment in the railway sector. Methods to speed up customs clearance were also discussed.
Acting Agriculture minister José Amauri Dimarzio published a statement informing that the federal government is going to make around US$ 1 billion available for "improvement of highway infrastructure and Brazilian ports so as to be able to export the Brazilian harvest." Of this total, around US$ 700 million will be funds from a fuel tax (Cide), and the remains will come from the Transportation Ministry budget.
According to Dimarzio, Cide funds will be made available up to the end of this month. The money will be used to recover highways (belonging to states and cities) and for dredging of the ports in Santos (in the southeastern state of São Paulo), Paranaguá and Rio Grande (respectively in the southern states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul).
Apart from these investments, president Lula also determined the investment of US$ 154 million in federal highways. These funds will be used to end duplication of highways Fernão Dias and Régis Bitencourt and to begin duplication of the southern stretch of highway BR-101.
Presidential palace spokesperson André Singer, who provided information about the meetings, recalled that the measure does not have export incentives as its main objective. But foreign trade should be benefited, as the BR-101 highway is known as the "Mercosur Highway", he stated.
Private investment in railways
President Lula also asked for greater attention to railways. It was decided that Transport ministers Anderson Adauto, and Planning minister Guido Mantega would organize another meeting, "as soon as possible," to "organize investment necessary for the recovery of the country railway lines," stated Singer.
The objective, added the spokesperson, is to transport grain. "This is an investment turned to export. We have great grain production, especially soy, which must be transported, and railways are one of the most important systems for this."
Singer stated that the government intention is to act "together" with the private sector, to be responsible for "operation" of railway investment. The president has also announced "intensification of dredging of Brazilian ports turned to export."
The Brazilian president also determined that "there should be greater coordination between organizations that inspect products to be exported, so that there is no delay in product shipping." This is an ancient request by exporters. Businessmen believe that the 16 ministries and public organizations, such as the Federal Police, interfere in foreign trade.
For this reason, Agriculture minister Roberto Rodrigues, Chief of Staff José Dirceu, Development minister Luiz Fernando Furlan, Finance minister Antonio Palocci, Planning minister Guido Mantega and Transport minister Anderson Adauto, as well as the heads of the Revenue Service, Banco do Brasil, BNDES, and Infraero, were also present at the meeting.
