Rio, May 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Scarcity of credit is the chief problem faced by the productive sector in Brazil, and it also hinders sustained economic growth. This diagnosis was presented yesterday (27) by the Minister of Planning, Guido Mantega, during the First Seminar on Pension Funds, in Rio de Janeiro.

When he discussed the guidelines of the 2004-2007 Pluriannual Plan, the Minister once again pointed out some of the problems that hinder the country's development: scarcity of credit, external vulnerability, and inadequate infrastructural conditions. In his view, these will be the principal items dealt with in the Plan.

According to Mantega, the Ministry is preparing legislation that will regulate the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), in order for firms to receive resources, directly or through bank intermediation, from multilateral financial instititions, such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the World Bank. (DAS)