Evolution and phases of sugarcane agroindustry in Brazil

Abstract

This paper aims to summarize and discuss the main aspects characterizing the evolution and phases of the sugarcane agroindustry in Brazil, emphasizing the period from 1946/1947 to 2012/2013. As a result, the sugarcane agroindustry had a strong period of government interference (with domain of the paradigm of subventions) and has been showing, for twenty four years, a deregulation scenario (with domain of technological paradigm). However, this sector still lacks an institutional arrangement that contributes to establish guidelines for the several interests that make up the sector, hoping to better define the role of the major products of the sugarcane agroindustry in the food matrix (sugar) and in the energy matrix (ethanol and cogeneration) in Brazil.