l
PERFIL
In an area where men prevail, Elisan-
gela Pereira Lopes defines herself as a
passionateenthusiastofherwork.Gradu-
ated in Economic Sciences from the Uni-
versity Center in the Federal District (Uni-
DF), she has a Master’s Degree from the
Postgraduation Program in Transport, of
the University of Brasília (PPGT/Unb), of
the Technology College (RC). She is gre-
atly interested in studies, methodologies
and tools that lend support to the regu-
lation of the economic transport activi-
ty. Currently, she works for the Brazilian
Confederation of Agriculture and Lives-
tock (CNA), in theNational Infrastructure
and Logistic Committee. She also repre-
sents the CNA in the Logistic Thematic
Chamber of the Ministry of Agricultu-
re, Livestock and Food Supply (CTLOG/
Mapa) and in the Working Group cre-
ated by the Interministerial Decree nº
231/2013, of the Mapa, to study the bot-
tlenecks in infrastructure and logistics
when it comes to transporting the grain
crops and other agribusiness products.
She is a Professor of Logistics and Sup-
plies at the Higher Course of Technology
inAgribusinessattheCNACollege.
I
n a Country with structural problems
as big as its territorial dimension, there
is no shortage of logistic challeng-
es. The advisor to the National Logis-
tic and Infrastructure Committee of the
Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and
Livestock (CNA), Elisangela Pereira Lopes,
believes that there is need for strategic plan-
ning by the state and not by the govern-
ment, if the works are to suffer no continu-
ity problems, thus being able to change the
reality of the transport of agribusiness prod-
ucts andof thenational industry. There is no
shortage of examples of investments that
have literally come to a standstill, like the
Damof the Tucuruí River, in Pará.
Inaugurated in 2010, after thirty years
under construction, the structure contin-
ues underutilized and incurring expenses,
seeing that the Pedral do Lourenço, set of
rocks covering a stretch of 43 kilometers
along the Araguaia-Tocantins Waterway,
prevents commercial boats from passing
through. “Ever since it was inaugurated,
in 2010, the public coffers had to shell out
R$ 25 million in maintenance costs. Bids
were invited in 2015 for the removal of the
rocks, thus turning the stretch fromMarabá
(PA) to the ports navigable during the en-
tire year, but due to delays in the works, its
conclusion is scheduled for 2022”, he says.
Other problems include the lack of a
public budget or juridical security for the
companies to invest in infrastructure in Bra-
zil. He equally recalls that the high transport
costs, some 40 percent higher compared
to other countries. All these expenses are
blamed on poor roadway conditions. “Cur-
rently, almost 62 percent of the Country’s
roadways have some kind of problem”, he
ponders. The calamitous state increases the
roadway transport costs by at least 30%, ac-
cording to a survey conducted by the Na-
tional Transport Confederation (NTC). When
it comes to the North of the Country, this
percentage reaches nearly 34 percent.
Elisangela understands that it is of fun-
damental importance to have these roads
paved, maintained and doubled or a solu-
tion (like the implementation of third lanes
along the roads),with thepurpose toensure
roadwaysafetyandsmoothtrafficflow.Oth-
er actions include the integration of differ-
ent roadway modals, the construction of
new ports and materialization of extreme-
ly important works, like the North-South
Railway (10 percent of this railway still
need to be concluded, in the stretch from
São Paulo to Tocantins), and, even more
important, ensure the inclusion of compet-
itive mechanisms in the concession con-
tracts, like Right of Passage and Indepen-
dent Railway Operator. In the meantime,
BR-020 (fromBrasília to Fortaleza, in Ceará,
planned 60 years ago, has not yet been
concluded: there are 812 kilometers not
yet paved, which push up farmers’ freight
costs, becauseof theneed tocover 520extra
kilometers to avoid the dirt road.
In light of the perspective of an unstain-
able situation, Elisangela believes that re-
cently launched projects by the govern-
ment could bring some relief. The Advance
Program, launched by the federal govern-
ment in 2017, was created to conclude
works that have come to a standstill across
the Country. On the other hand, the Grow-
ing Program makes access easier to cred-
it lines granted by federal public banks
(Bank of Brazil, Caixa Econômica, Bank
Currently, nearly62%of the roadways
throughout theCountryare inneedof repair
of Amazon and Bank of the Northeast) for
projects to be passed on to private initia-
tive. “These projects will not necessari-
ly be given priority and carried out as fast
as they should be, but are really relevant
actions. Now, what remains to be done is
to wait for the timeframes to be complied
with, and arise the interest of investors.”
Logistic bottlenecks inBrazil include
unfinishedworks, stagnated repairworks and
priority investments that have not yetmaterialized
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