Brazil: Corn ethanol share stays strong in early March states UNICA
UNICA data shows Brazil’s sugarcane crushing gaining momentum ahead of harvest, though season totals remain slightly lower year-on-year. Ethanol output is strong, led by corn-based production, while mixed sales trends highlight shifting demand as the sector gradually ramps up activity.
Brazil’s sugar and ethanol sector is showing early signs of activity ahead of the upcoming harvest, with fresh data released by UNICA pointing to a pickup in sugarcane processing during the first half of March.
Mills in the country’s key south-central region processed 1.31 million metric tonnes of sugarcane in the first two weeks of the month. However, the total volume crushed since the start of the 2025–26 season on April 1 stands at 617.32 million tonnes, marking a decline of 2.21 percent compared to the same period last season, Ethanol Producer Magazine reported.
Ethanol production during the fortnight reached 459.67 million litres. This included 291.26 million litres of hydrous ethanol and 168.41 million litres of anhydrous ethanol. A major share of this output came from corn-based ethanol, which contributed 386.62 million litres, accounting for more than 84 percent of total production in the period.
For the ongoing season so far, total ethanol production has touched 32.96 billion litres. Of this, 20.31 billion litres is hydrous ethanol, while 12.65 billion litres is anhydrous ethanol. Corn-based ethanol output has reached 8.77 billion litres, showing a rise of 12.31 percent compared to last year.
On the sales front, mills in the region sold 1.25 billion litres of ethanol in the first half of March. This included 504.88 million litres of anhydrous ethanol and 747.15 million litres of hydrous ethanol.
Domestic sales figures showed mixed trends. Sales of hydrous ethanol stood at 722.08 million litres, reflecting a drop of 10.7 percent from the same period last year. In contrast, anhydrous ethanol sales rose by 5.18 percent to around 504 million litres.
Cumulative ethanol sales for the current season have reached 32.85 billion litres. This includes 12.75 billion litres of anhydrous ethanol, up 5.08 percent, and 20.1 billion litres of hydrous ethanol, which has declined by 8.16 percent compared to last season.
The latest figures indicate that while overall processing remains slightly lower than last year, production and sales activity are gaining pace as the industry moves closer to the new harvest season.
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Source : Chinimandi
