Ethanol and capital in crisis reproduction

Abstract

This essay analyzes the recent tendencies in the sugarcane sector, 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 contradictory“growth” is determined by the international economic crisis, in a moment of the 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.