Brazil’s Planning Minister Nelson Barbosa on Monday said he expects the country’s economy to start recovering in the second half of the year.

Mr Barbosa told construction executives in the country’s capital Brasília that the return of business confidence and investment into the country’s infrastructure sector would spur the rebound, Reuters news agency reported.

Brazil’s economy is likely to be heading into a recession this year, according to non-government and official estimates.

To push recovery, the country’s administration plans to auction at least three airport concessions this year as well as four highways, Mr Barbosa said.

In a positive turn for Brazil’s economy, consumer confidence in the country rose for the first time this year in April, a private survey showed on Monday.

Consumer confidence as calculated by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation rose to 85.6 points in April from 82.9 points in March, even though 76 percent of Brazilian consumers still consider the current economic situation as “bad”.