Brazil seeks to privatize, pave Trans-Amazonian Highway

Brazil will add the Trans-Amazonian Highway, which cuts across the rainforest, to the list of projects for privatization, the infrastructure minister said on Tuesday, seeking new investment to pave the roadway that has been blamed for deforestation.

BR-163, a key northern route for shipping Brazilian grains, will also be added to the list of the government's priority list for privatization at a meeting next month, Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio Freitas told Reuters in an interview. (Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)