Sugarcane-based Ethanol, the new energy source that powers 30% of the Brazil's automobiles, has become a standard. The country has become the number one exporter of the world in ethanol. They export over 900 million gallons, returning $1.6 billion in profits. All of this has positioned Brazil as a progressive energy leader.
But all of this has created a harsh working conditions for the workers in charge of harvesting the sugarcanes. Working 12 hours a day in blazing heat with little pay, the workers find themselves in desperate situations. Their salary is around $420 a month. The plantation owners charge them for the transportation and food, furthering them into debt.
Worst yet is the pace they have to keep. In the outset sugarcane was sold in tons ranging from 6 t0 8 a day. Now, with European imports booming, the pace has quickened to 10 to 12 tons a day.
UNICA, the country's association of sugar and ethanol producers have acknowledged working conditions in the cane fields have caused U.S. and European importers to ban their products. The whole scenario is taken right out of Upton Sinclair's novel the Jungle. Little hope or movement yet to see if conditions are improving.
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