ABSTRACT
Sugar-cane production in Brazil was 224 million tonnes in 1989, 241 million tonnes in 1994, and 302 million tonnes in 1998. The proportion of sugar-cane used for ethanol production was approximately 65 per cent in 1989 and close to 50 per cent in 1998. Although the ethanol/sugar ratio is decreasing, the industry is at least 50 per cent an ‘energy’ industry. The renewable nature of the fuel produced can be seen in Table 6.1.
