UNICA-Brazil : Corn ethanol production remains strong in early January
Brazil’s sugarcane crushing declined in early January, with total season output down 2.2% year-on-year. Ethanol production also fell overall, but corn ethanol surged, now dominating output. While hydrous ethanol demand weakened, anhydrous sales improved, highlighting a shift in Brazil’s biofuel mix and evolving market dynamics.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has announced sugarcane milling was down during the first half of January. Corn ethanol production continued to expand during the two-week period.
Mills in the south-central region of Brazil processed 605,090 metric tons of sugarcane during the first half of January. Total sugarcane processing during the current harvest season, which began April 1, 2025, reached 601.04 million metric tons, down 2.22% when compared to the same period of the previous harvest season.
Mills in the region produced 427.42 million liters (112.91 million gallons) of ethanol during the first half of January. Corn ethanol accounted for approximately 384.49 million liters, or 89.96% of total production during the two-week period, up 8.5% when compared to same period of the previous year.
Total ethanol production since the start of the current harvest season reached 32.27 billion liters, down 4.82% when compared to the same period of the previous harvest season. Production included 19.3 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 7.78%, and 11.97 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 0.39%. Corn ethanol production accounted for 7.25 billion liters of production, up 13.67%.
Mills in the region sold 1.33 billion liters of ethanol during the first half of January. Sales included 567.37 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 1.86%, and 759.18 million liters of hydrous ethanol, down 9.76%.
Domestic sales included 751.71 million liters of hydrous ethanol, down 6.49%, and 567.25 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 3.31%.
Total ethanol sales since the beginning of the current harvest season reached 27.62 billion liters, down 2.19%. Sales included 17.11 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 5.94%, and 10.51 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 4.59%.
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Source : Ethanol Producer Magazine
