A expansão do setor sucroenergético no Oeste do Estado de São Paulo e os impactos para a agricultura familiar no Pontal do Paranapanema e no Extremo Noroeste Paulista
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Data
2018-07-30
Autores
Saron, Flávio de Arruda [UNESP]
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Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Resumo
A pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar os impactos econômicos e sociais da expansão do setor sucroenergético nas regiões do Pontal do Paranapanema e extremo Noroeste Paulista e os efeitos da territorialização da cana-de-açúcar sobre as áreas ocupadas por cultivos e atividades da agricultura familiar, ou seja, as dinâmicas associadas à substituição de cultivos e atividades da agricultura familiar por canaviais implantados em áreas arrendadas para o abastecimento de unidades sucroenergéticas. Para a realização da pesquisa foi consultada bibliografia sobre temas da pesquisa, além de levantamento de dados de fonte secundária e primária (pesquisa de campo). Verificou-se que os anos 2000 constituiram-se em novo ciclo vigoroso de expansão do setor sucroenergético, comparável ao período de vigência do Programa Nacional do Álcool (PROÁLCOOL). Houve substancial ampliação do número e tamanho das unidades sucroenegéticas, mecanização do processo produtivo (plantio e colheita), cogeração de energia elétrica e investimentos de capital estrangeiro. Além disso, boa parte das novas usinas e canaviais foi implantada em áreas com pequena produção canavieira (comparada a regiões canavieiras tradicionais) a exemplo do Oeste Paulista, que tem se firmado como importante polo de produção canavieira nacional. No mesmo período, nos Estados Unidos da América (EUA) houve significativo crescimento da produção de etanol produzido a partir da principal commodity agrícola do país, o milho. No Brasil e EUA, o aporte de recursos públicos, a cooperação bilateral, o crescente interesse de corporações e esforços diplomáticos para a promoção do etanol têm caracterizado a expansão do setor sucroenergético e da indústria do etanol. Em ambos os países, o sistema produtivo baseia-se em monocultivos, na grande escala de produção, na larga utilização de máquinas e insumos característicos do padrão de desenvolvimento da agricultura moderna com fortes impactos sobre o meio ambiente, a despeito dos “benefícios ambientais” do uso do etanol associados à redução das emissões de CO2. Portanto, o setor sucroenergético no Brasil e a indústria do etanol nos EUA estão associados ao padrão de desenvolvimento capitalista da agricultura, caracterizado pelo decrescente número de agricultores, crescente ampliação da escala de produção e conexão com capitais não agrícolas. Constatou-se que é pouco significante o cultivo de cana-de-açúcar em áreas com predomínio da agricultura familiar nas duas regiões pesquisadas. A maior parte da área canavieira é cultivada em terras de agricultores não familiares e proprietários rurais absenteístas. Não houve alteração dos sistemas produtivos das áreas de agricultura familiar decadente provocada pela implantação de unidades sucroenergéticas, exceto em áreas onde agricultores familiares concederam terras em arrendamento para a implantação de canaviais. As unidades sucroenergéticas processam e cultivam cana-de-açúcar, portanto, são empreendimentos verticalizados. Nesse sentido, os agricultores familiares participam do setor sucroenergético apenas como assalariados, o que tem ocorrido, principalmente, no Pontal do Paranapanema. As unidades sucroenergéticas empregam milhares de trabalhadores, o que tem grande impacto no mercado de trabalho de regiões que não contavam com empreendimentos desta magnitude. Nas duas regiões pesquisadas, há sérias externalidades negativas da atividade sucroenergética que afetam a qualidade de vida da população rural, como a proliferação de moscas, exposição a agrotóxicos, deterioração de estradas rurais, dentre outros.
In this research we aim to analyze economic and social impacts caused by the sugarcane industrial sector in the Pontal do Paranapanema and Northwest, which are regions located in the West of São Paulo State, Brazil, as well as the effects of harvesting sugarcane fields on lands owned by family farmers, dynamics that are related to a land renting practice that replaces family farm crops and activities by sugarcane fields towards the needs of sugarcane industrial mills. In order to reach the research project objectives, we did a literature review, secondary data source collection and field works. We found out that in the 2000s there was a great expansion of the sugarcane industrial sector, presenting similarities with the previous period covered by PROALCOOL - Federal Program for Supporting the Ethanol Production. There was a great increase of the number and size of sugar mills, in the spreading of sugarcane mechanical harvest, in the offer of electricity as a byproduct sold by sugar mills and in the expansion of investments from foreign companies in this sector. Most of the new sugar mills where built in regions where there was small sugarcane acreage as Western São Paulo. Consequently, Western São Paulo has risen as an important area for sugarcane production in Brazil. At the same time, in the United States (U.S), where there was a great increase in the ethanol production made from corn, the most important product of the U.S agriculture. Both in Brazil and in the U.S., subsidies, cooperation between its governments, and the influence of corporations are important characteristics of sugarcane industrial sector and ethanol industry. Growing crops in both countries to make ethanol heavily relies on intensive farming system, characterized by large scale agriculture and green revolution techniques. Under that perspective, ethanol has not been produced on a sustainable basis. However, it can provide less greenhouse gases (GHGs) levels emission than conventional fuels (gasoline). So, sugarcane industrial sector in Brazil and ethanol industry in the U.S. have been developed based on capitalistic agriculture, which means dropping of the number of farmers and increasing of large scale operation and relationships with non-agricultural capital. We found out that most of the sugarcane fields have not been grown on family farms lands, which are characterized by smaller size of farms and farming scale, in both regions. Most of the sugarcane fields have been grown on non-family farms, especially on absentee ownership lands. There was not significant changes in agriculture systems of the declining family farming related to sugarcane mills, expect in the cases in which family farmers rented their land to grow sugarcane fields. The processing and growing sugarcane is made by sugarcane mills, therefore these industries control the whole productive process. So, most of the family farmers can only participate of sugarcane industrial sector as employees in sugar mills, especially in the Pontal do Paranapanema region area. The sugarcane mills provide a lot of jobs, which have heavily impacted the local labor market in regions where there wasn’t any big industry has been installed before. In the two regions, there were serious impacts caused by sugar mills, which affects quality of life of rural communities, such as spreading flies, risks agrochemical exposure, worse rural roads caused by trucks traffic, among others.
In this research we aim to analyze economic and social impacts caused by the sugarcane industrial sector in the Pontal do Paranapanema and Northwest, which are regions located in the West of São Paulo State, Brazil, as well as the effects of harvesting sugarcane fields on lands owned by family farmers, dynamics that are related to a land renting practice that replaces family farm crops and activities by sugarcane fields towards the needs of sugarcane industrial mills. In order to reach the research project objectives, we did a literature review, secondary data source collection and field works. We found out that in the 2000s there was a great expansion of the sugarcane industrial sector, presenting similarities with the previous period covered by PROALCOOL - Federal Program for Supporting the Ethanol Production. There was a great increase of the number and size of sugar mills, in the spreading of sugarcane mechanical harvest, in the offer of electricity as a byproduct sold by sugar mills and in the expansion of investments from foreign companies in this sector. Most of the new sugar mills where built in regions where there was small sugarcane acreage as Western São Paulo. Consequently, Western São Paulo has risen as an important area for sugarcane production in Brazil. At the same time, in the United States (U.S), where there was a great increase in the ethanol production made from corn, the most important product of the U.S agriculture. Both in Brazil and in the U.S., subsidies, cooperation between its governments, and the influence of corporations are important characteristics of sugarcane industrial sector and ethanol industry. Growing crops in both countries to make ethanol heavily relies on intensive farming system, characterized by large scale agriculture and green revolution techniques. Under that perspective, ethanol has not been produced on a sustainable basis. However, it can provide less greenhouse gases (GHGs) levels emission than conventional fuels (gasoline). So, sugarcane industrial sector in Brazil and ethanol industry in the U.S. have been developed based on capitalistic agriculture, which means dropping of the number of farmers and increasing of large scale operation and relationships with non-agricultural capital. We found out that most of the sugarcane fields have not been grown on family farms lands, which are characterized by smaller size of farms and farming scale, in both regions. Most of the sugarcane fields have been grown on non-family farms, especially on absentee ownership lands. There was not significant changes in agriculture systems of the declining family farming related to sugarcane mills, expect in the cases in which family farmers rented their land to grow sugarcane fields. The processing and growing sugarcane is made by sugarcane mills, therefore these industries control the whole productive process. So, most of the family farmers can only participate of sugarcane industrial sector as employees in sugar mills, especially in the Pontal do Paranapanema region area. The sugarcane mills provide a lot of jobs, which have heavily impacted the local labor market in regions where there wasn’t any big industry has been installed before. In the two regions, there were serious impacts caused by sugar mills, which affects quality of life of rural communities, such as spreading flies, risks agrochemical exposure, worse rural roads caused by trucks traffic, among others.
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Palavras-chave
Setor sucroenergético, Agronegócio, Agricultura Familiar, Pontal do Paranapanema, Extremo Noroeste Paulista, Sugarcane industrial sector, Agribusiness, Family farmers, Northwest of São Paulo