The potential of agribusiness in the frontier

Abstract The sharp contrast between the universal crises faced by the Brazilian economy during the 80s and the quite successful picture shown by the country’s agribusiness have been widely recognized. Amongst the positive aspects revealed by the sector’s performance, the remarkable capacity to attract capital from the Center-South to the frontier must be stressed. This article’s main subject is the expansion-cum-transformation of the Centro-Oeste agribusiness frontier. It also analyses the recent changes occurred in the Brazilian agricultural policy and the answers provided by the private sector.