The Economics of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets, Mandates, and Tax Exemptions

The Economics of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets, Mandates, and Tax Exemptions PDF Author: Dusan Drabik
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Sugarcane in Brazil is processed into sugar and/or ethanol, often in flex plants that can switch between the two products. We develop an economic model of flex plants, export demands, and two domestic fuel demand curves for a blend of ethanol with gasoline consumed by conventional cars, and ethanol consumed only by flex cars. We analyze the market impacts of the following policies: the blend mandate; fixing gasoline prices below world prices; the high gasoline tax; and a higher tax exemption for ethanol blended with gasoline. Because Brazilian and U.S. ethanol prices have become linked, a change in Brazilian ethanol policy or a shock in world sugar markets can now impact U.S. ethanol and corn prices. We show that in theory, each policy analyzed has an ambiguous impact on ethanol and sugar prices. Empirically, however, a low gasoline tax and a high tax exemption for ethanol used in the fuel blend reduce ethanol and sugar prices; this contradicts conventional wisdom. Overall, we find that policy reforms implemented in 2010 offset the ethanol price increase by about 27% due to outward shifts in fuel transportation and sugar export demand curves, and due to a reduced sugarcane supply caused by bad weather. Our model illustrates the importance of Brazil's ethanol policies on world commodity markets; it also provides insight into how the Brazilian government can adjust policies to better control domestic inflation while minimizing impacts on investment.

The Economics of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets, Mandates, and Tax Exemptions

The Economics of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets, Mandates, and Tax Exemptions PDF Author: Dusan Drabik
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Sugarcane in Brazil is processed into sugar and/or ethanol, often in flex plants that can switch between the two products. We develop an economic model of flex plants, export demands, and two domestic fuel demand curves for a blend of ethanol with gasoline consumed by conventional cars, and ethanol consumed only by flex cars. We analyze the market impacts of the following policies: the blend mandate; fixing gasoline prices below world prices; the high gasoline tax; and a higher tax exemption for ethanol blended with gasoline. Because Brazilian and U.S. ethanol prices have become linked, a change in Brazilian ethanol policy or a shock in world sugar markets can now impact U.S. ethanol and corn prices. We show that in theory, each policy analyzed has an ambiguous impact on ethanol and sugar prices. Empirically, however, a low gasoline tax and a high tax exemption for ethanol used in the fuel blend reduce ethanol and sugar prices; this contradicts conventional wisdom. Overall, we find that policy reforms implemented in 2010 offset the ethanol price increase by about 27% due to outward shifts in fuel transportation and sugar export demand curves, and due to a reduced sugarcane supply caused by bad weather. Our model illustrates the importance of Brazil's ethanol policies on world commodity markets; it also provides insight into how the Brazilian government can adjust policies to better control domestic inflation while minimizing impacts on investment.

Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies

Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies

An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies PDF Author: Harry de Gorter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
The lack of growth in the Brazilian sugarcane-ethanol complex since the 2008 financial crisis has been blamed on policies: lower mandate, holding gasoline prices below world levels, high fuel taxes, and inadequate fuel tax exemptions for ethanol. This paper develops an empirical model of the Brazilian fuel-ethanol-sugar complex to analyze the impacts of these policies. Unlike biofuel mandates and tax exemptions elsewhere, Brazil's fuel-ethanol-sugar markets and fuel policies are unique such that each policy, in theory, has an ambiguous impact on the market price of ethanol and hence on sugarcane and sugar prices. The results indicate two policies that seemingly help the ethanol industry do otherwise in reality: low gasoline taxes and high anhydrous tax exemptions lower ethanol prices. But higher mandates, hydrous ethanol tax exemptions, and gasoline prices had the expected impact of increasing ethanol and sugar prices. Eliminating Brazilian ethanol tax exemptions and mandates reduces ethanol prices by 21 percent. Observed changes in prices are explained by outward shifts in fuel transportation and sugar export demand curves, and bad weather reducing sugarcane supply.

An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies

An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies PDF Author: De Gorter Harry
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The lack of growth in the Brazilian sugarcane-ethanol complex since the 2008 financial crisis has been blamed on policies: lower mandate, holding gasoline prices below world levels, high fuel taxes, and inadequate fuel tax exemptions for ethanol. This paper develops an empirical model of the Brazilian fuel-ethanol-sugar complex to analyze the impacts of these policies. Unlike biofuel mandates and tax exemptions elsewhere, Brazil's fuel-ethanol-sugar markets and fuel policies are unique such that each policy, in theory, has an ambiguous impact on the market price of ethanol and hence on sugarcane and sugar prices. The results indicate two policies that seemingly help the ethanol industry do otherwise in reality: low gasoline taxes and high anhydrous tax exemptions lower ethanol prices. But higher mandates, hydrous ethanol tax exemptions, and gasoline prices had the expected impact of increasing ethanol and sugar prices. Eliminating Brazilian ethanol tax exemptions and mandates reduces ethanol prices by 21 percent. Observed changes in prices are explained by outward shifts in fuel transportation and sugar export demand curves, and bad weather reducing sugarcane supply.

The Market and Environmental Effects of Alternative Biofuel Policies

The Market and Environmental Effects of Alternative Biofuel Policies PDF Author: Dusan Drabik
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This dissertation analyzes market and environmental effects of alternative U.S. and Brazilian biofuel policies. Although we focus on corn- and sugarcane-ethanol, the advanced analytical framework can easily be extended to other biofuels and biofuel feedstocks, such as biodiesel and soybean. The dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter develops an analytical framework to assess the market effects of a set of biofuel policies (including subsidies to feedstocks). U.S. corn-ethanol policies are used as an example to study the effects of biofuel policies on corn prices. We determine the 'no policy' ethanol price, analyze the implications for the 'no policy' corn price and resulting 'water' in the ethanol price premium due to the policy, and generalize the surprising interaction effects between mandates and tax credits to include ethanol and corn production subsidies. The effect of an ethanol price premium depends on the value of the ethanol co-product, the value of production subsidies, and how the world ethanol price is determined. U.S. corn-ethanol policies are shown to be a major reason for recent rises in corn prices. The ethanol policy-induced increase in corn prices is estimated to be 33 - 46.5 percent in the period 2008 - 2011. The second chapter seeks to answer the question of what caused the significant increase in ethanol, sugar, and sugarcane prices in Brazil in the period 2010/11 to 2011/12. We develop a general economic model of the Brazilian fuel-ethanol-sugar complex. Unlike biofuel mandates and tax exemptions elsewhere, Brazil's fuel-ethanol-sugar markets and fuel policies are unique in that each policy, in this setting, theoretically has an ambiguous impact on the market price of ethanol and hence on sugarcane and sugar prices. Our empirical analysis shows that there are two policies that seemingly help the ethanol industry but do otherwise in reality: a low gasoline tax and a high anhydrous tax exemption result in lower ethanol prices. On the other hand, as expected, higher mandates, gasoline prices, and tax exemptions for hydrous ethanol lead to higher ethanol and sugar prices. Eliminating Brazilian ethanol tax exemptions and mandates reduces ethanol prices by 21 percent in 2010-11, which is very similar to the estimated effects of U.S. ethanol policies in the same time period. However, the marginal changes in Brazilian policies on ethanol prices between 2010-11 and 2011-12 are small both individually and collectively. The observed market changes can only be explained by outward shifts in fuel transportation and sugar export demand curves, and reduced sugarcane supply due to bad weather. In the third chapter, we investigate whether U.S. corn ethanol saves greenhouse gas emissions relative to the gasoline it is assumed to replace one-to-one (on an energy equivalent basis). This chapter shows that ethanol policies generate far greater carbon leakage in the fuel market than in the agricultural market, where leakage occurs in the form of land use change. Carbon leakage in the fuel market due to a tax credit is always greater than that of a mandate, while the combination of a mandate and subsidy generates greater leakage than a mandate alone. We show that corn-ethanol does not meet the U.S. EPA's sustainability threshold, regardless of the biofuel policy and whether one includes emissions from land use change. This result makes the controversy over how to measure land use change inconsequential.

An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies

An Economic Model of Brazil's Ethanol-Sugar Markets and Impacts of Fuel Policies PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Economics of Biofuel Policies

The Economics of Biofuel Policies PDF Author: Harry de Gorter
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137414855
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The global food crises of 2008 and 2010 and the increased price volatility revolve around biofuels policies and their interaction with each other, farm policies and between countries. While a certain degree of research has been conducted on biofuel efficacy and logistics, there is currently no book on the market devoted to the economics of biofuel policies. The Economics of Biofuel Policies focuses on the role of biofuel policies in creating turmoil in the world grains and oilseed markets since 2006. This new volume is the first to put together theory and empirical evidence of how biofuel policies created a link between crop (food grains and oilseeds) and biofuel (ethanol and biodiesel) prices. This combined with biofuel policies role in affecting the link between biofuels and energy (gasoline, diesel and crude oil) prices will form the basis to show how alternative US, EU, and Brazilian biofuel policies have immense impacts on the level and volatility of food grain and oilseed prices.

Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Biofuels

Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Biofuels PDF Author: Alexandros Gasparatos
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781139539906
Category : Biomass energy
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
"Biofuels are currently in the middle of a heated academic and public policy debate. Biofuel production has increased fivefold in the past decade and is expected to further double by 2020. Most of this expansion will happen in developing nations. This volume is the first of its kind, providing a comprehensive overview of the biofuel debate in developing countries. The chapters are written by a multidisciplinary team of experts, exposing the key drivers and impacts of biofuel production and use. The book covers impacts as diverse as air pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation, energy security, food security, greenhouse gas emissions, land use change, rural development, water consumption and other socioeconomic issues. Its wide focus accommodates examples from countries in Africa, America and Asia. As such, this book will become an indispensable companion to academics, practitioners and policy makers who wish to know more about biofuel issues in the developing world"--Provided by publisher.

Biopackaging

Biopackaging PDF Author: Martin Alberto Masuelli
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1498749690
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 419

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Book Description
This book examines the whole range of modern packaging options. It covers edible packaging based on carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidative and antimicrobial packaging, and the chemistry of food and food packaging, such as plasticization and polymer morphology. Issues related to shelf life and biodegradability are also discussed, in addition to newly discovered processing and preservation techniques, most notably modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and active packaging (AP).

The Intended and Unintended Effects of U.S. Agricultural and Biotechnology Policies

The Intended and Unintended Effects of U.S. Agricultural and Biotechnology Policies PDF Author: Joshua S. Graff Zivin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226988031
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Using economic models and empirical analysis, this volume examines a wide range of agricultural and biofuel policy issues and their effects on American agricultural and related agrarian insurance markets. Beginning with a look at the distribution of funds by insurance programs—created to support farmers but often benefiting crop processors instead—the book then examines the demand for biofuel and the effects of biofuel policies on agricultural price uncertainty. Also discussed are genetically engineered crops, which are assuming an increasingly important role in arbitrating tensions between energy production, environmental protection, and the global food supply. Other contributions discuss the major effects of genetic engineering on worldwide food markets. By addressing some of the most challenging topics at the intersection of agriculture and biotechnology, this volume informs crucial debates.