Lack of environment, labor rights could stifle Brazil's ethanol export plans
Brazil is one of the poster children for the alternative fuel movement and the country has more than once stated its desire to be the major supplier of sugarcane-based ethanol. But the country's environmental and human rights policies may hinder its goal. Norbert Kreuger, manager of Corporate Citizenship at Ford in Europe, says that Brazil needs to work on preserving its rain forests while improving conditions and rights for its sugarcane workers. Roberto Rodrigues, the Brazilian Agriculture Minister who resigned last month, countered Kreuger's accusations, stating that there are no sugarcane plantations in the Amazon due to the poor soil conditions. As for the laborers, he points to Kreuger's examples as isolated incidents. The government, he states, is working hard to fight such condition with salaries for even part-time laborers higher than the national average.
[Source: easybourse]
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