By PortalPortuario Editorial Staff
The Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) is studying the reactivation of the São Francisco River waterway as a way to reduce cargo transportation costs, impacting the price of food. The initiative seeks to improve the supply of inland cities, with greater regularity in the arrival of essential products for the daily life of the population.
In practice, the expectation is an increase in the circulation of goods, a boost to local economies, and job creation in sectors such as transportation, port operations, commerce, and services.
Currently, the navigable stretch is 1,371 kilometers, between Pirapora (MG), Juazeiro (BA) and Petrolina (PE), with the potential to serve 505 municipalities and about 11.4 million people. The estimate is for the movement of up to 5 million tons in the first year of operation alone.
The Minister of Ports and Airports, Tomé Franca, highlighted that the reactivation of the São Francisco waterway improves logistical efficiency and reduces transportation costs. “It also expands the integration of regions that depend on the river as essential infrastructure. The return of the Velho Chico waterway means bringing more development, cheapening the transportation of goods, and connecting people.”
For the National Secretary of Waterways and Navigation, Otto Luiz Burlier, the waterway also increases access to essential inputs. “The waterway increases regularity in cargo transportation and improves the arrival of food and indispensable materials, especially in regions that depend on this mode,” he stated.
Among the main expected cargoes are grains such as soybeans, corn, and cotton, in addition to fertilizers, limestone, and gypsum, inputs directly linked to agricultural production and the final cost of food.
The project to reactivate the São Francisco Waterway also includes improvements to the river’s navigability and infrastructure along the route, in addition to the implementation of Small Public Port Facilities (IP4). The measure is expected to extend the access of riverside municipalities to waterway transportation and strengthen logistical integration between inland regions.
The management of the waterway will be transferred from the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) to the Port Authority of the State of Bahia (Codeba), in coordination with the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq), as part of the reorganization of the governance of the waterway mode.
