Análise comparativa de eficiência e competitividade econômica entre as cadeias produtivas do Sisal (Agave Sisalana) no Brasil e Fique (Furcraea Andina) na Colômbia

Abstract

The present work aims performing a comparative analysis between economic efficiency and competitiveness of the productive chains of Sisal in Brazil and Fique, in Colombia. The Matrix Methodology of Political Analysis (MAP) was used. The informative data to reach the objective were obtained from several public and private institutions based on secondary data supplemented by field information from semi-structured qualitative interviews, conducted with key representatives, directly involved with the productive chains of Sisal and Fique in Brazil and Colombia. The results show the importance in generating employment and income in both cultures, since the soil conditions and climate make other crop impossible. Nowadays, Brazil is the leader of Sisal production in the Americas. Colombia, however, leads the production of Fique in South America. Brazil, with 6% of the world production of natural fiber is the third largest global exporter and Colombia, with 1%, is the tenth. Broadly speaking, the analysis of productive chains, allows us to infer that they have similar structure predominantly in small and medium establishments, allowing us to classify the Fique and the Sisal cultures as a family economy. According to the analysis conducted by MAP, it is possible to conclude that from the 12 indicators which enable the comparison as to efficiency and competitiveness, 8 favor Brazil and 6 Colombia; nevertheless, Colombia is more efficient in private terms and Brazil presents the best performance in social terms; both productive chains have low rates in terms of efficiency and competitiveness what makes them vulnerable to external factors. As to the impact of political taxation and subsidies, it was found that the policy adopted in Brazil distort the economic incentives from the foreign market, causing lower prices than the international ones. On the other hand, the policies in Colombia do not influence the price in a relevant way, possibly due to the high internal consumption.