Caracterização da produção de etanol combustível a partir da cana-de-açucar em Pernambuco no período 1980-2012

The use of fossil fuels, almost exclusively, the Brazilian economy has caused serious environmental impacts, which can only be reversed with the diversification of the national energetic matrix. ________________________________ 1 Graduada em Economia (UFRPE). Mestrado em Administração e Desenvolvimento Rural (UFRPE). E-mail: eduardasbraga@yahoo.com.br 2 Graduado em Agronomia (UFRPE). Mestrado em Economia Rural (UFV). Doutorado em Economia (UFPE). Professor da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE). E-mail: almirmenelau@yahoo.com.br CARACTERIZAÇÃO DA PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL COMBUSTÍVEL A PARTIR DA CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR EM PERNAMBUCO NO PERÍODO 1980-2012 108 One of the fundamental alternative in the diversification of this matrix is ethanol, biofuel made from cane sugar. Given this potential of ethanol to Brazil, and considering the contribution of Pernambuco for domestic production of this biofuel, we analyzed the Pernambuco ethanol production, using the econometric model of production function (type Cobb Douglas). To this end, information was raised from a time series of data that covered the period from 1980/2012. The results obtained with the model, with price elasticities of supply and crossprice elasticity between sugar and ethanol production, was concluded that ethanol production is linked to sugar prices, in which the increases of the price of sugar will enable your production and will reduce the production of fuel ethanol.