Source: Valor Econômico
Maria Fernanda Hijjar, executive partner of the Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain (Ilos), points out that more than 20% of the grains exported annually by Brazil pass through the ports of Pará and Amazonas. "This is the second largest grain export corridor in the country, second only to the port of Santos," she says. According to her, if investments are not made in the rivers, it will be necessary to transport large volumes of agricultural goods by truck, a mode of transport that is much more environmentally damaging, inefficient, and more expensive. "In comparison, waterway transport costs about five times less than road transport and pollutes about 80% less," she compares.
Hijjar further argues that the private model often offers advantages that the public model does not, such as continued investment and professional, performance-oriented management. And, if the private sector does not do this, says the consultant, it will be important for the government to invest in maintaining the waterways of the North relevant for the flow of agricultural production in Brazil. Barbosa, from ATP, also believes that concessions are the best way to achieve more adequate navigability on Amazonian rivers. "The examples are there; the ports that have always had difficulty maintaining the planned depths are precisely granting concessions for their channels to achieve this goal," she argues.
