Brazil official says Amazon won't be hurt by increased ethanol production

Baltimore Sun
By ALAN CLENDENNING AP Business Writer
2:53 PM EST, November 17, 2008

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) _ Expansion of vast sugarcane plantations across Brazil to meet growing worldwide demand for ethanol won't harm the Amazon, a top Brazilian official said Monday.

Speaking at the start of a five-day international conference on biofuels, presidential chief of staff Dilma Rousseff said Brazil will soon unveil an agricultural zoning plan to specify where crops across Latin America's largest nation can be grown for fuel and food.

The Amazon and several other regions known for their wide range of plant and animal species are likely to be declared off limits. But Brazil will encourage expanded ethanol production elsewhere and in poor nations around the world that have temperate climates suitable for sugarcane.

"It's a socio-economic reality," Rousseff said. "It generates jobs and income, mainly in tropical countries."

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