Three essays on the sugarcanes sector productor in Brazil / Três ensaios sobre o setor produtor de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil
AUTOR(ES)
André Luis Squarize Chagas
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO
2009
RESUMO
The growing demand for clean energy sources to replace petroleum has substantially expanded the use of biofuels fuels produced from agricultural products. For Brazil, instead of representing a hindrance to growth because of the need for changes in the countrys energy mix, this represents a great opportunity to generate value and income, since the country has clear comparative advantages in producing these fuels from renewable sources. The main biofuel in the country is ethanol, made from sugarcane. The countrys cane growing sector has been undergoing intense transformations, with the attraction of foreign capital, opening of new distilleries and intensification of mergers and acquisitions. However, doubts have been raised about the socioeconomic effects of the spread of sugarcane growing, such as the effects on the environment, labor market, social conditions and food prices, among others. This thesis analyzes three of these impacts. The first is the effect of the increased production of sugarcane on land and food prices. The second is the effect on social conditions in the regions where cane growing is concentrated. The third is the impact on municipal tax revenues. The results suggest that the expansion of cane growing is not the cause of increased land and food prices, that the sector has no significant effects (positive or negative) on social conditions in cane growing regions, and that the sector can contribute positively by increasing local tax revenue.
ASSUNTO(S)
economia regional econometrics economia agrícola agricultural economics cana-de-açúcar geography economics sugarcane geografia econômica econometria regional economics
