A cadeia agroindustrial do tomate no corredor do Triângulo Mineiro: aspectos econômicos e sua relação com a questão da sustentabilidade

Abstract

The Minas Triangle Corridor, which encompasses the cities of Uberlândia, Patos de Minas, Paracatu and Unaí, is a large industrial tomato producing area. The industrial tomato production system is regulated by the institution of the contract, which is one of the issues discussed within the New Institutional Economy (NEI) as one of the ways to maintain order within this system and the coordination of the production chain. These formal contracts in large industry impose a certain technology (technology packages) on agricultural producers to ensure the quality of primary production and its processed final product. This quality, together with the regularity of supply, appear as a factor of competitiveness. In the small industry, the contract is informal, there is no quality monitoring and the risk of no supply is higher. As a highly demanding production system in technology and natural resources, environmental restriction has been relevant and part of the explanation of industrial migration in the tomato chain.