CS Brazil H1 April sugar output plunges 80% on year: UNICA

Sugar production in Brazil's Center-South for the first two weeks of the 2022-23 season showed a drop of 79.99% year on year at 126,627 mt, data from trade association UNICA showed April 28.

The figure was lower than the consensus expectations of 278,900 mt from 10 analysts surveyed by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Mills in CS Brazil crushed 5.19 million mt of sugarcane in first-half April, down 66.87% year on year, UNICA said.

"The reduction in the cane crush for H1 April was because lesser mills were in operation compared to the prior season due to an average 15-20 day delayed start to the harvest because of suboptimal weather induced poor cane maturation," a Sao Paulo-based trader said.

Sugar's share of the crush for H1 April was 25.95% compared with 38.80% a year earlier.

A total 85 mills were operating as of April 16, 64 less than in the same period of 2021. Market participants expect another 104 mills to begin operation in second-half April.

Total recoverable sugar, or ATR, in H1 April was 98.66 kg/mt, a decrease of 9.72% year on year.

Ethanol production, sales

Ethanol production in CS Brazil was 397.53 million liters in H1 April, down from 735.66 million liters a year earlier, UNICA said. Hydrous ethanol production accounted for 381.55 million liters of the total, while anhydrous ethanol output was 15.98 million liters, it said.

Corn ethanol production in H1 April was 170.32 million liters, an increase of 48.52% year on year.

Ethanol sales by mills in CS Brazil during H1 April were 1.054 billion liters, 6.67% higher year on year, with 1.027 billion liters going to the domestic market and 27.36 million liters for export.

The quantity of hydrous ethanol sold to the domestic market was 678.28 million liters, 2.83% higher on the year. The quantity of anhydrous ethanol sold to the domestic market was 348.32 million liters, 11.99% higher on the year.