RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- THe state-owned National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) announced on Tuesday it has granted loans that totaled 66.7 billion reais (38.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the December 2006-November 2007 period.

    The amount represented a 35 percent rise from the figure registered in the previous corresponding period. BNDES also stated that it approved a total volume of loans, whose payments have not been made yet, of 89 billion reais (50.8 billion dollars) in the December 2006-November 2007 period, up 33 percent from the loans approved in the 12 month period immediately before.

    According to the government bank, 25.7 billion reais (14.7 billion dollars) were destined to infrastructure projects in the past 12 months, a 44 percent rise, and the volume of loans approved for the sector reached 39 billion reais (22.3 billion dollars), up 75 percent from the previous 12 month period.

    Transportation projects consumed a big part of the loans approved for the infrastructure sector, amounting to 16.7 billion reais (9.5 billion dollars), while electric energy projects got 9.8 billion reais (5.6 billion dollars) and 4 billion reais (2.3 billion dollars) went to construction projects.

    Brazil's industrial sector, BNDES said, got 30 billion reais (17 billion dollars) and 37.5 billion reais (21.3 billion dollars) were approved for this sector. Agriculture and cattle breeding received 4.9 billion reais (2.8 billion dollars) and were awaiting for the same amount already approved.