Governança das transações da Associação Gaúcha dos Produtores de Florestas Plantadas à Luz da Economia dos Custos de Transição

Abstract

In the formation of the Gross Domestic Product, the forestry sector represents a significant part of the economy, through the production and sustainable exploitation of forest resources, which include practices linked to the management, production and harvesting of trees. According to IBGE data, forestry production in 2021 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul totaled R$2.4 billion, representing an increase of 24% compared to 2020. Playing a significant role in the production chain in the south of the state of Rio Grande do Sul is the Gaucho Association of Planted Forest Producers (AGAFLOR), which contributes to the sustainable growth of the region. The general aim of this study was to analyze the governance of AGAFLOR producers' transactions in the light of Transaction Cost Economics. To this end, the research had a descriptive character, a mixed approach and the research strategy was sequential exploratory, which was conducted as follows: the qualitative part used the techniques of documentary research and semi-structured interviews, which were applied to three of the association's executive directors. The quantitative part, which measures the characteristics of transactions at producer level, was carried out using a questionnaire technique, which was applied in two stages to twenty-four (24) AGAFLOR member producers, whose forests are distributed across 16 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Content analysis was used as an analysis technique for the qualitative part. The data from the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics, non-parametric hypothesis tests and logistic regression. The determinants of the choices of the association's different governance structures were also assessed, seeking to understand the reasons and factors that influence the participants' decisions. The results of the research showed that the largest eucalyptus production areas are used for pulp production, negotiated via contracts and sold mainly to paper industries; on the other hand, the smaller areas have forestry production used for firewood, sold via the market and transacted, as a rule, with intermediaries and direct to the end consumer. With regard to the attributes of the transactions and the behavioral assumptions, it was found that the specificity of the assets, the time the forest grows and the time dedicated to production, directly influence the producers' governance strategies. In addition, with regard to the uncertainty attribute, the price and management variables affect commercial transactions, with greater levels of uncertainty regarding commercialization via the market. Participants perceive a moderate level of opportunism in commercial relations, with greater perception in market transactions. The results of the Logistic Regression indicate that asset specificity and uncertainty are important in determining the type of transaction, whether via contract or via the market; while opportunism has no significant impact on the choice between the types of transaction. The research highlighted the relevance of governance structures in the forestry production chain, understanding their forms of organization and decision-making.