Tobacco growing families in southern Brazil: economic status of those associated to the Tobacco Growers Association of Brazil (Afubra)

Abstract

this article is the result of a survey involving 1,200 family farmers in southern Brazil from a demand of the Tobacco Growers Association of Brazil to meet the socioeconomic profile of its members. The information presented here concern the economic aspects of the properties, highlighting the issues of debt, productive activities, consumption and income earned. Family farming in southern Brazil is directly linked to tobacco production and the analysis of other activities by producers is a key to the establishment of alternatives for agricultural production diversification that is now being gestated in that region. It was found that just over 60% of farmers interviewed had declared his situation as stable, but only 29.3% have no debt. Among the others, more than half have debt on costing and nearly 75% have debts relating to investments in property. Involvement of tobacco in total income of the properties is on average 68.59%. It should be noted, however, that the participation of tobacco on the revenue actually received (disregarding their own consumption and production of animal origin) is significantly higher.