UNICA: Ethanol production, sales up in early December

UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has announced sugarcane processing by mills in the south-central region of the country was up in early December. Ethanol production and sales were also up.

Mills in the region processed 5.61 million tons of sugarcane during the first two weeks of December, up significantly when compared to the 769,000 tons of sugarcane processed during the same period of 2021.

Since the beginning of the current harvest season, which began April 1, mills in the region have processed 538.98 million tons of sugarcane, up 3.13 percent when compared to the same period of the previous year.

According to UNICA, mills in the south-central region of Brazil produced 482.62 million liters (127.49 million gallons) of ethanol during the first half of December, up 144.67 percent when compared to the same period of 2021. Production included 212.73 million liters of hydrous ethanol, up 159.18 percent, and 269.9 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 134.33 percent. Corn ethanol accounted for 199.33 million liters, or 41.3 percent of total production, up 28.5 percent when compared to the same two-week period of 2021.

Ethanol production since the beginning of the current harvest season totaled 27.15 billion liters, up 2.52 percent, including 15.63 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 0.65 percent, and 11.52 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 7.16 percent. Corn ethanol accounted for 3.05 billion liters of production, up 26.43 percent.

Mills in the south-central region of Brazil sold 1.14 billion liters of ethanol during the first half of December, up 10.26 percent when compared to the same period of 2021. Domestic sales included 595.56 million liters of hydrous ethanol, up 7.4 percent, and 479.17 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 8.52 percent.

Total sales since the beginning of the harvest season reached 21.05 billion liters, up 4.76 percent when compared to the same period of the previous harvest season. Sales included 12.2 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 1.27 percent, and 8.85 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 14.38 percent. Domestic sales included 11.51 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 0.99 percent, and 7.75 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 6.29 percent.