Brazil names firms breaching freight price rules, tightens oversight

SAO PAULO, March 18 (Reuters) - Brazil's Transport Minister Renan Filho on Wednesday named several major companies fined in recent months for allegedly failing to comply with minimum freight price rules, adding they may be barred from contracting freight services in the country.

The move comes as the government pledged to tighten enforcement of the rules in a bid to appease truck drivers, after unions began advocating for a strike this week following a recent jump in diesel prices.

Filho named food processor MBRF MBRF3.SA, fuel distributor Vibra VBBR3.SA, sugarmaker Raizen RAIZ4.SA, brewer Ambev ABEV3.SA, grain trader Cargill and Unilever ULVR.L.

Raizen said in a statement that its freight payments are calculated based on both fixed and variable components, and that it believes the audit is not considering the total freight paid in these operations.

The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.