Production and use of fuel ethanol in Brazil - BAFF

C2.3.
How does the remuneration for work in the
industry compare to other analogous industries in
the nation?
The differences in regional development reflect in the industry’s indicators; poorer
regions are characterized by lower salaries and a more labor-intensive activity, as
a function of the technological level in place (automation, mechanization). In the
agricultural area, the mean education level in the North-Northeast region is half as
much (in terms of years spent at school) as in the Center-South.
Considering both formal and informal jobs (2005 PNAD sample), the income of
engaged individuals in Brazil was:
For all sectors:
R$ 801/month; R$462 in agriculture; R$ 770 in the industrial sector; and
R$ 821 in the service sector.
Sugar-cane, agricultural area:
Brazil, 495; N-NE, 316; C-S, 697; São Paulo, 810.
Industry, ethanol:
Brazil, 960; N-NE, 600; C-S, 985; São Paulo, 1,196.
The amounts for those engaged on the industrial side of sugar production are a little
lower (around 20 percent) than those for ethanol production.
In the Center-South region, people engaged in sugar-cane growing have a higher
income than those engaged in coffee and corn growing, equivalent income to that
of citrus fruit growers, but a lower income than that of people engaged in soybean
growing (which is highly mechanized and involves more specialized jobs). In the
North-Northeast region, the income from sugar-cane growing is higher than in
coffee, rice, banana, cassava and corn crops, also equivalent to the income from
citrus fruit growing, and lower than that earned in soybean growing.
The income in formal jobs does not include the 13 th salary (mandatory annual bonus
equivalent to one month’s salary) or any benefit.
C. Sugar-cane and ethanol production: social impacts
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