The latest production report released by UniCA on Wednesday showed that 27.643 million tons of sugarcane were squeezed in south-central Brazil in late September, 28.2% lower than the previous ten days, 31.7% lower than the previous year, 147.61 kg/ton of sugarcane sugar, 6% lower than the previous year, 7.3% lower than the previous year, 1.286 million tons of sugar, 40.1% lower than the previous year, Reuters reported. Year-on-year decline of 55%, due to rainfall impede sugar cane activities and sugar factories continue to focus on ethanol production.

Sugarcane sugar ratio was 33.08%, ring-to-ring ratio was down by 4.19 percentage points, 13.47 percentage points, a record low, while the rest of the cane was used to produce ethanol because the latter was currently more profitable; ethanol production was 1.634 billion liters, 27.6% lower than the previous year, 19.8% lower than the previous year.

By September 30, South Brazil had squeezed nearly 458 million tons of sugarcane in the 18/19 squeezing season, a decrease of 2.3%; the average sugar content of sugarcane was 140.34 kg/ton, an increase of 3.1%; the yield of sugarcane was 64 tons/ha, a decrease of 10.5%; the cumulative sugar production was 22.273 million tons, a decrease of 24.1%; the average sugar ratio of sugarcane was 36.37%, a decrease of 11.88 hundred tons. Meanwhile, the remaining sugarcane was used for ethanol production; cumulative ethanol production was about 24.39 billion liters, an increase of 25.1%, including 16.65 billion liters of water-based ethanol, an increase of 51.9%, and 7.54 billion liters of absolute ethanol, a decrease of 10.3%.

UNICA Technical Director said that the expansion of ethanol production during the squeezing season would result in a 9 million-ton drop in sugar production compared with the same period a year ago, taking into account the changing sucrose-alcohol ratio in sugar mills. He also said that at least five sugar mills in South Brazil have been squeezed, which is unusual because sugar mills usually continue to produce until the end of the year.