978-1-4222-3341-2

tobacco, and many other products. Cotton grown in the southern part of the country is shipped to the textile mills in the east. SKYROCKETING SOYBEANS Exporting soybeans to a growing global market has become a significant part of the Brazilian economy. During the past five decades, soybean production has increased tenfold, to 260 million tons (236 million metric tons). One of the most important crops is still sugarcane. Today, Much of Brazil’s sugarcane is processed into ethanol, a biofuel. By the mid-1980s, every driver in Brazil was driving a vehicle that was ethanol-powered. Today, almost all cars there have “flexible” fuel engines that can run on either gasoline or ethanol. In fact, Brazil, gets 30 percent of its automobile fuel from sugarcane ethanol. In addition, Brazil is a major supplier of cattle, exporting large quantities of beef and other products. While cattle ranching and even ethanol production have helped fuel Brazil’s economy, perhaps no one crop contributes to the country’s coffers more than coffee.

A coffee planation in Alto Caparaó in the state of Minas Gerais.

37

CHAPTER FOUR: SCHOOL, WORK, AND INDUSTRY