Co-Chair Deb Hamrick
Co-Chair Deb Hamrick |
Welcome to Brazil; The moon hung low in the sky over the mountains
surrounding Tarapaca, as the IALP class of 1998 boarded its 5:30 a.m. bus for the airport.
After a four-hour flight from Santiago, Chile to Sao Paulo, Brazil, we boarded a private
coach northbound for Ribeirao Preto. Along the way our new tour guide, Claudia, told us
that Sao Paulo, with its 19 million inhabitants, is the largest city in South America, and
one of the word’s largest cities. As the bus skirted the north edge of the
city’s main motorway, skyscrapers and apartment buildings filled the skyline. Here
was a tropical version of New York City – only bigger. While most of the city’s
residents are poor—the average wage is just $600/month—Brazil boasts two of the
world’s top 10 wealthiest people.
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| The evening’s dinner was sponsored by Monsanto do Brasil at
Churrascaria Coxilha dos Pampas, a Brazilian steak house. The restaurant’s format is
known as "rodizio," meaning circle. Patrons serve themselves at bountiful salad
bars. Afterwards waiters circulate continuously with carving knives and juicy meat grilled
on a spit. We were able to select from more than a dozen meats—tender beef to
bacon-wrapped turkey and quail or fish. Dinner speaker, Roberto Rodrigues, International Cooperative Alliance president and one of Sao Paulo’s leading farmers, provided a few facts about agriculture in Brazil and this region, the state of Sao Paulo. This state provides 18 percent of the country’s GDP, he said. Sao Paulo has some 34,000 farmers; 50 percent of them have between 20 to 200 hectares (2.4 acres). The state produces 27 percent of Brazil’s sugar cane. Just over half of Brazilian sugar cane is processed into sugar, with the rest processed into alcohol used as a fuel additive. Sao Paulo has the most irrigated farmland in all of Latin America. About 50 percent of Sao Paulo’s soybean crop is irrigated. Other important agricultural crops in the state include citrus, peanuts, milk, cotton and beef. The charming atmosphere, excellent dinner conversation and the added warmth from our "Caipirihas," (a delightful drink made with lime, sugar and Pinga, alcohol made from sugar cane) made for a wonderful evening. |
Co-Chair Phil Fuhr |
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