History of ethanol fuel in Brazil
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The history of ethanol fuel in Brazil dates from the 1970s and relates to Brazil's sugarcane-based ethanol fuel program, which allowed the country to become the world's second largest producer of ethanol, and the world's largest exporter.[1] Several important political and technological developments led Brazil to become the world leader in the sustainable use of bioethanol,[2][3][4][5] and a policy model for other developing countries in the tropical zone of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.[6][7][8] Government policies and technological advances also allowed the country to achieve a landmark in ethanol consumption, when ethanol retail sales surpassed 50% market share of the gasoline-powered vehicle fleet in early 2008.[9][10] This level of ethanol fuel consumption had only been reached in Brazil once before, at the peak of the Pró-Álcool Program near the end of the 1980s.[9][10][11]