The booming domestic and overseas demand for clean, renewable sources of energy has propelled Brazilian farmers into a frantic rush to produce alcohol from sugar cane.
Brazil is the world's No. 1 alcohol exporter and the expectation that the world is on the verge of adopting the "green fuel" on a large scale has sparked local farmers' attention.
There are 335 sugar cane distilleries operating in the country, but "alcohol fever" has attracted some $100 billion in investment and another 100 are planned to open by 2012, which would double alcohol output to 17 billion liters a year.