With exports tripling in the last decade, Brazilian sea ports have embarked on an aggressive development plan which opens more  opportunities for foreign investment. According  to  Brazil Now   (November 2008),  Brazil’s  total   trade  jumped from US$108 billion (S$ 157 billion) to an estimated US$400 billion from 1998 to 2008. In order to handle the trade boom, Brazilian sea ports which handle 95per cent of the country’s trade by volume and 85 per cent by value, have embarked on a national investment  and  development   plan .  At  the  same  time US$31.3 billion  of  investments will be implemented to develop the country’s ports,   airports,  highways,  railroads and waterways to promote  greater integration within the  country. For  its part, the Brazilian federal government has made the rules in the ports sector  more  flexible  with  the  recent publication of Decree 6,620,which allows Brazilian  and   international  private  companies to build and operate new  public  ports  under concession.Helping companies  tap on Brazil’s  opportunities in order  to  help   Singapore   companies  tap on the growing opportunities in Brazil, IE Singapore and the Embassy of Brazil jointly organised a half-day seminar, “Business Opportunities in Brazil’s Port Sector” on 25 May 2009. The seminar was led by Brazil  Ports  Minister Pedro Brito whose  team  of  industry  and  market  experts highlighted and shared with participants the business and trade opportunities in Brazil’s ports. Among  the  presenters were  representatives from  Santos Port,  Latin America’s busiest and largest port, Brazil’s National  Water Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) and SUAPE Port and Industrial Complex. Speaking at the seminar, Ms  Kathy Lai,Assistant  CEO  for  IE Singapore said, “I am confident that Singapore companies have much to offer towards building, equipping and maintaining world-class seaports and logistic nodes in Brazil.” Between 2003 and 2008, bilateral trade between Brazil and Singapore has grown more than four folds with Brazil being Singapore’s 2nd largest trading partner in Latin America today. IE Singapore’s Overseas Centre in Sao Paulo has also observed increased interest in the Brazilian market.Currently, there are over 25 Singapore companies in Brazil performing a  myriad of economic activities ranging from services to the maritime sector to trading commodities.