The urgent construction of a railroad linking Chapeco to Cascavel will be concretely analyzed today during a meeting of Chinese investors and business leaders from western Santa Catarina. The meeting will take place at 2:30 pm at the headquarters of the Chapeco Business Association and will be attended by the directors of Coesa, the largest Chinese company interested in financing the project.

A feasibility study for the railway has already been carried out with the sponsorship of Acic, Faesc, Fiesc, Ocesc, Facisc and Centro Empresarial de Chapecó. The connection with Cascavel will allow the construction of a railway line with the center and west of Brazil.

Railroad construction has been a long-standing need in the west of Santa Catarina. Photo: Ricardo Botelho/Ministério Infraestrutura/ND.

This rail link is considered vital to the survival of agribusiness, one of the pillars of Santa Catarina’s economy and a major hub for the state’s export program.

For decades, agribusinesses have bid to build a rail line from Chapeco to the Midwest. Excuses are powerful. The West of Santa Catarina imports annually from the center-west between 5 and 6 million tons of corn per year. More than 100,000 trucks are involved in this monstrous operation between the center-west of Brazil and the west of Santa Catarina. Corn is essential for raising poultry and pigs throughout the region. And the state does not have enough production.

The observation made by the manufacturing sector is simple: the federal and state governments do not have the financial resources to pay for the railroad. Incentives for foreign investors are of fundamental importance.

Koesa is ready to pay for the project and build a railroad between the two southern states. It has financial resources, and today China has the most modern technology in the construction of railways.

The West is also in favor of building an integration railroad between the West and the coast to guarantee the transport of products through the ports of Santa Catarina.

The Chicken Railroad has been flying the flag for 30 years.