Four hundred entrepreneurs are meeting in Curitiba, southern Brazil, at the IV Brazilian Seminar on Transportation, Logistics, and Exportation. A consensus exists among the participants on the need to improve infrastructure, considered an impediment to Brazilian exports.
According to the president of the Cexpar (Foreign Trade Center Institute of the State of Paraná), Zufiro Bosio, “it is a mistake to think that the productive sector has problems exporting in consequence of customs barriers.
“Logistical shortcomings add 30% to the price tag of products manufactured in Brazil, making it difficult to compete abroad.” The exporters contend that they lose clients because buyers are afraid that the precarious conditions of highways and ports will delay deliveries.
Technical specialists from the Ministry of Transportation informed the participants of the seminar that this year’s goal is to spend US$ 1.320 billion (3.375 billion reais) on highways, railways, and ports.
The largest expense, US$ 782 million (2 billion reais), will be to repair 14 thousand kilometers of Brazil’s highway grid.
Agência Brasil