The Sugarcane Industry and the Global Economic Crisis

The presentation analyzes recent tendencies in the sugarcane sector in Brazil, and evaluates the increasing process of monopolization, particularly with the participation of multinational corporations. The study observes that the larger concentration of capital coincides with the increasing territorial expansion of sugarcane monocropping, especially in areas with access to infrastructure, in the Southeast region, and in regions with vast water resources in the Cerrado.  This process of apparent “growth” is determined by the international economic crisis, in a moment of predominance of financial capital. In this context, the study shows a constant dependency of the sugarcane industry on subsidies and state credit, in addition to the permanence of labor exploitation.

 Maria Luisa Mendonca is the director of Rede Social (Network for Social Justice and Human Rights) in Brazil. She has a PhD in Philosophy and Social Sciences with a focus in Human Geography from University of Sao Paolo (USP) and is currently teaching at the International Relations Department of University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Her work focuses on agricultural models, rural movements and geopolitical land and natural resource systems. She is the editor of the book “Human Rights in Brazil,” which has been published annually by Rede Social for the past 14 years.