Produção, emprego e receita tributária: o efeito paradisíaco das frutas tropicais no polo agroindustrial do Açu/RN.

Abstract

The present work has as its objective to understand the influence, in its economic and social aspects, of tropical fruit production, based upon irrigation agriculture in the Agribusiness Pole of Açu, on the economy of the State of Rio Grande do Norte beginning in the eighties and, thus, investigate the current importance of this production in the economic context of the State relative to productivity, to employment and to tax revenue. With that objective, the transformations that occurred in the agricultural sector, specifically in the Agribusiness Pole of Açu - RN, after the installation of the businesses that constitute the Pole, were identified and viewed under the capital accumulation logic perspective. AH of the companies: Maísa, Fazenda São João, Viva Agroindustrial, Finobras and Frunorte, have large quantities of capital at their disposal and practice salaried worker relations, the production being, therefore, within the capitalist mold, in addition to a large State apparatus with respect to loans and tax exemptions, making possible the growing integration of agriculture with the dynamics of capital. The exemption of the ICMS (Tax on the Circulation of Merchandise and Services) had as its objective to promote the development of the Agribusiness Pole of Açu - RN, this Pole being seen as the principal producer of tropical fruits in the State with the intention of increasing the aggregate value of agricultural production and to guarantee stable employment for the working population in the fields as well as in industry. However, through the data researched, it was verified that even though production and worker productivity was increasing, through technological growth, the situation of the workers of this Pole remained the same in terms of salaries. With respect to the generation of employment, it was established that the increase in the number of jobs offered by these companies, during the period in analysis, did not compensate, in relative terms, what the State forwent in ICMS, being seen, in this manner, a growing concentration of capital in the private companies, sponsored, in part, be public revenues, under the support of the State.