72 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 2 



"I used to take my stuff to Sao Paulo and sell it in stores and public markets of the city, at 31/3 

 in the Pinheiros ^^ market," said another farmer. cruzeiros a kilo, or about 8% cents a pound. 

 "They charged a cruzeiro commission for each ar- The difference, therefore, between the price 

 rola of onions, or sack of beans or maize or pota- actually paid the farmer and the retail price 

 toes. They would take what we had brought, give in the city represented an appreciation of 163 

 us a receipt for it and when it was sold, you could percent. Similarly, potatoes were being pur- 

 go and get your money. But the business is done chased in the community at 120 to 200 cruzeiros 

 differently now. When you take your produce for a sack of 60 kilos, depending on the size, or 

 in, a man buys it and still takes out a commission. about 51/2 to 8i/i cents a pound ; while in Sao Paulo 

 Then he sells it to someone else for a nice profit. they were selling in the public market for 3 to 5 

 Those fellows just make their meals off us." "I cruzeiros a kilo, or Ti/o to 121/0 cents a pound, 

 used to try to sell my produce in Pinheiros," said This represents an increase of 36 to 52 percent 

 another farmer, "but I learned my lesson. One over the price on the farm. On the same day, 

 day I refused to sell onions here on the farm when maize was being purchased in the community at 45 

 I was offered 7I/2 cruzeiros an arroha, and took cruzeiros a sack of 60 kilos, or 1% cents a pound; 

 them instead to Pinlieiros. When I got there, the while in the public markets of the city, it was 

 best price any one would offer me was 4 cmzeiros. selling at from 1.30 to 1.40 cruzeiros a kilo, or 314 

 I told the driver of the truck to go down to the to 31/2 cents a pound. This represents an increase 

 street where most of the wholesale houses are, but of 73 to 87 percent over the price on the farm, 

 he wouldn't drive on until I had paid him more Thus the cost of moving these three staple crops 

 money. Finally, I sold the onions for 61/^ cm- from the farmer to the consumer a comparatively 

 zeiros, or just a cruzeiro less than I'd been offered few miles away and distributing them, was from 

 here on the farm and I had all the expense of 36 to 163 percent of the amount received by the 

 trucking." "We work hard," remarked another farmer. If one also takes into consideration the 

 farmer, "but it's only on shares for the men who price which these three staples brought in Sao 

 buy our produce. We plant and do all the work Paulo after the harvest season had passed, the price 

 of raising a crop and we make no more than they spread is much greater. Potatoes which were sold 

 do just for buying our stuff and selling it again. by local farmers, as has been indicated, at from 

 That's not fair. But we are helpless. The buyers 5I/2 to Si^ cents a pound, cost the consumer in the 

 have us tight in their claws. And they all stand city, later this same year, as much as 17 cents a 

 together." "It's fair for the men who truck the pound. Onions which the farmer sold for 3% 

 crops in to earn something," remarked still an- cents a pound later brought as much as 20 cents a 

 other farmer, "They do us a service. But they pound in the city. And maize which sold at l^g 

 aren't the ones who make the money. Onions are cents a pound, reached 7 cents a pound in the city, 

 being bought here now by buyers for 20 cmeeiros Even if one takes into consideration normal shrink- 

 an arrola, while in the city people are paying 31/2 age which, in the case of onions obviously is con- 

 cruzeiros a kilo. That means an arroha is bring- siderable, the lack of storage facilities on the farm, 

 ing 52 cruzeiros in the city. If only there were combined .with acostly distribution system, results 

 , ■ 1 J! .1 u + J u in a sizable variation between the price paid to 

 some way to get rid of those men who stand be- , „ , , . , , , 



•^ , , , , , . , 1 p 1 the farmer and that paid by the consumer, 



tween us and the people who eat the lood we , , ^ ^ ■ t ^^ . ^ ^ ■ 



,,, ^ '■ A young tanner who claimed that he was losing 



' ■ , • , ,. -1 money under present prices was asked to itemize 



The spread between the price the farmer in the ^^.^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^j^^ following : 



local community actually receives and the retail 



price in the city is, in fact, considerable. As the Estimated cost of growing potatoes 



^ . Cruzeiros 



recent harvest was being gathered, buyers were per 



offering in the community, as has been indicated, ^ . ^i, u u ^ ,w 4.1, i .? tareja 



° , To cut the brush and small trees on the land 25 



20 ci'uzeiros an arroha, or about 31^ cents a pound, q^^ j,.;^, g^^i ^^^^ 25 



for onions; at the same time, onions were selling. To pull the stumps 100 



To plow the land 25 



"* A suburb of Suo Paulo. To harrow the land 5 



