Politiques d’approvisionnement en maïs au Brésil : le cas du Pernambouc

Abstract

This study analyses how along the period 1996-2000, interest groups in the State of Pernambuco tried to face the dependency on cheap corn imports pressing federal and State governments to assure an adequate disposability of corn as food and as an input in the broiler industry. The methodology considers the interest groups (a neo corporate approach) and analyses how influent are producer´s organizations in defining government actions. Three key sectors can be identified: food industries processing corn, animal food producers and the broiler industry, the last two highly connected because broiler producers are the main users of animal food. These sectors are the main corn consumers and importers in the state and as such press the government to assure an adequate supply. Changes in the exchange rate policy in 1998 leaded these agents to change their strategies and demand support from the Federal Governement to substitute corn produced in the center-west state for imports mainly from Argentina. These changes imply in a policy that can sustain development of the complex of grain-animal food in Brazil but creates some conflict in Mercosur between the two countries.

Keywords

• Northeats of Brazil
• interest groups
• agricultural policy
• corn
• broiler industry