Brazil's domination of the world sugar market.

Abstract

This chapter first discusses the sugar market in Brazil in terms of: raw and refined sugar; anhydrous and hydrous alcohol; government policies toward sugarcane and the products made from it; and sugar and ethanol prices in Brazil and in the world market. To investigate the potential effects of increasing the alcohol/gasoline blend ratio from 20 to 26%, the next section develops a conceptual model that considers the Brazilian sugarcane market in the context of sugarcane production and prices, refined sugar production and prices, ethanol production and prices, and world market effects. The conceptual model also makes it possible to identify welfare measures for Brazilian and world consumers and producers of sugarcane-based products. Next, an empirical model, based on several measures of supply and demand sensitivities to prices and government policies, is simulated. Ranges for the effects of the increased blend ratio on prices, quantities and welfare are calculated.

Social wasps are effective biocontrol agents of key lepidopteran crop pests

“…and maize Zea mays. Our experiments were conducted in Brazil, which is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, the third-largest global producer of maize [40,41], and where US$ 17.7 billion worth of crop (7.7% of annual harvest) is lost to insect pests annually [42]. Common pests of these crops are (respectively) the lepidopteran sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (henceforth referred to as SB) and the lepidopteran fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (henceforth referred to as FAW) [43,44].…”

Is Sugar Sweeter at the Pump? The Macroeconomic Impact of Brazil's Alternative Energy Program

“…The government offered low-interest loans and credit guarantees for the construction of new refineries and taxed gasoline at a higher rate at the pump. The government also mandated that transportation fuel be blended with a minimum of 22 percent ethanol (Schmitz et al, 2007). Political support for Pró-Álcool began to wane as oil prices declined in real and nominal terms in the late 1980s and early 1990s.…”

Agricultural Trade Liberalization: Policies and Implications for Latin America

“…Thus, policies affecting the blends of ethanol and gasoline used as automotive fuels (now 24 percent ethanol) affect Brazil's production of sugar for edible consumption, and its supply of sugar to the world market is relatively elastic compared with countries in which sugarcane goes entirely into sugar production. Schmitz, Seale, and Buzzanell (2002) investigate the effects of a hypothetical increase in the ethanol/gasoline blend ratio in Brazil from 20 to 26 percent. They conclude that such a policy change would reduce Brazil's sugar exports by 8 to 33 percent, and raise world sugar prices by 2 to 4 percent.…”