The emergence of Brazil as a major world sugar and ethanol producer

ABSTRACT The production and export of sugar defined the colonial history of Brazil. It was here that the first modern slave based plantation system was created in America. Up through the end of the 17th century it was the dominant Atlantic producer of sugar. Although production continued to grow it was replaced in world markets in the 18th century by West Indian growers and was late to modernize in the 19th and early 20th century. Yet today it is once again the world's dominant producer of sugar and the second largest producer of ethanol. How and why these changes occurred is the theme of this essay in which we explore the rise of the modern sugar and ethanol industries in Brazil.