The University of Minnesota Extension arrived in Sao Paulo Brazil late on Monday evening. We checked in to our hotel and got situated for an early morning tour Tuesday.

This morning we attended the main offices of the Brazilian Sugar Industry Association (UNICA). UNICA is the largest organization representing the sugar and bioethanol sectors. This association is comprised of a board of directors comprising of member companies. Those involved are primarily suger and bioethanol processors in the state of Sao Paulo. They are very active at looking towards increasing production of sugarcane and ethanol from sugarcane. They were very quick to point out that the growth of this sector in Brazil has huge potential and that this growth is very minimal in the Amazon region.