Brasília – The Federal government announced on Wednesday (6) that R$ 54.2 billion (US$ 27.1 billion) will be invested in the port sector in Brazil and another R$ 2,6 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) in waterway, railway and highway projects, as well as patios for traffic regularisation. Eighteen ports will be benefited by the programme for sector investment.
"This set of measures in the port sector has as its objective promoting competitiveness of the Brazilian economy, bringing bottlenecks in the sector to an end,” summarized the minister of the Port Secretariat, Leônidas Cristino.
To expand the cargo throughput and reduce the cost of the port system, the government plans to stimulate participation of the private sector in modernization of port management. The plan announced forecasts the end of consent orders as a criteria for tenders, eliminating costs.
The North will receive, between 2014 and 2015, R$ 4.37 billion in investment and, in the two following years, another R$ 1.5 billion (US$ 750 million). The Northeast should receive R$ 11.94 billion (of which R$ 6.77 billion between 2014 and 2015 and R$ 5.15 billion between 2016 and 2017). In the Southeast, investment will total R$ 16.50 billion in the first period (2014-2015) and R$ 12.14 billion in the second period (2016-2017). Leônidas Cristino also announced that that the South should receive R$ 3.36 billion in the first phase and R$ 4.25 billion in the second.
*Translated by Mark Ament
