The Association for the Promotion of National Infrastructure (Afin) of Peru has reported that the volume of accumulated investment through public-private initiatives aimed at modernizing the country's port system has already reached 2,376 million dollars (2,049 million euros).
"We must consider that projects worth 1,879 million dollars [1,621 million euros] are still pending execution under the Public-Private Partnership mechanism," the general manager of Afin, Juan Pacheco, explained to the "Andina" agency during his speech at the XXIII International Port Forum organized by the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL).
In this regard, he mentioned among the ongoing PPP projects the Southern International Terminal (Tisur), the General San Martín Port Terminal of the Port of Paracas, or the southern pier of the Port Terminal of the Port of Callao.
"Callao could handle 10 million TEUs [containers] by 2066. This would imply almost tripling the current cargo movement scenario. It is an optimistic scenario," he indicated.
The head of Afin emphasized that PPPs are financed with their own resources and that the resulting works will become state property, which will lead to "the generation of efficiencies and productivity improvements."
Pacheco also recalled that the Port of Chancay, a mega-infrastructure valued at approximately 3,500 million dollars (3,019 million euros) and with Chinese capital, is not part of the PPP scheme, although he emphasized its key role in the modernization process of the national port system.
In any case, he admitted the existence of "gaps" in the Peruvian logistics chain that must be corrected, such as the need to manage land access to ports with technology and to advance digitalization in the sector as much as possible to strengthen its competitiveness.