Análise Econômica da Sustentabilidade da Cadeia Produtiva de Etanol de Batata-Doce no Estado do Tocantins

Abstract

This paper examines the economic sustainability of the implementation of a local productive arrangement for the production of ethanol as a biofuel, from sweet potato, in the municipality of Palmas - TO. The method chosen to conduct this study was the cost - social benefits, considering aspects of economic profitability, the social and environmental sustainability. For analytical purposes the indicators calculated from the production of biofuel from sweet potato, were compared to the sugar cane as the reference for the production of ethanol in Brazil. The production of ethanol for fuel purposes, from the sweet potato, although it is possible the economic point of view, presents clear disadvantage with respect to the processing from sugar cane, which in fact has a unit and higher profitability gains in scale. But when it addresses the sustainability of the whole production chain of sugar cane, it appears that the costs to society caused by burning means that it is not sustainable. For the case of sweet potatoes, while a business less attractive from the economic-financial, behind social and environmental gains.