In the second half of September, production units in the central and southern regions processed 38.83 million tons, compared to 44.95 million tons in the 2023/2024 crop, recording a decline of -13.62%. In the cumulative total from the beginning of the 2024/2025 harvest season until the first of October, crushing reached 505.08 million tons, compared to 493.50 million tons recorded during the same period of the previous cycle, with a growth of 2.35%.
In the second half of September, 258 production units operated in the central and southern region, including 239 sugarcane processing units, nine companies that manufacture ethanol from corn, and ten flex plants. In the same period, in the 23/24 season, 261 production units were operated. In two weeks, two milling units are closed, while there are already four in the backlog. In the previous session, by the end of September, three mills had completed the sugarcane processing period.
Regarding the quality of the raw material, the level of total recoverable sugars (ATR) recorded in the last half of September was 160.01 kg of recoverable sugar per ton of sugarcane, compared to 154.27 kg per ton in the 2023/2024 harvest – a positive variance of 3.72%. In the cumulative harvest result, the indicator shows 141.02 kg TRS per ton, which is slightly higher (0.61%) than the indicator of the last cycle at the same position.
Sugar and ethanol production
Sugar production during the second half of September amounted to 2.83 million tons, recording a significant decline of 16.21% compared to the amount recorded during the same period of the 2023/2024 season (3.38 million tons). In the cumulative period from the beginning of the harvest until October 1, desalination production reached 33.15 million tons, compared to 32.65 million tons in the previous cycle.
UNICA Intelligence Sector Director, Luciano Rodriguez, adds that in the last two weeks of September, only 47.79% of sugarcane was used to manufacture the sweetener, a decrease compared to the 51.10% recorded in the same period of the previous year. The Director-General explained that “the cumulative yield of sugar production amounted to 65.64 kilograms of sweetener per ton of sugarcane until October 1st of this crop, which represents a decrease compared to the 66.17 kilograms recorded during the same period of the previous cycle.”
Ethanol manufacturing, in turn, amounted to 2.24 billion liters in the second half of September, including 1.44 billion liters of hydrous ethanol (+3.33%) and 792.4 million liters of anhydrous ethanol (-4.89%). In the accumulated period from the beginning of the current agricultural cycle until October 1, the total production of biofuels reached 25.20 billion liters (+7.44%), of which 16.11 billion were hydro-ethanol (+16.43%) and 9.10 billion anhydrous (-5.50%).
Of the total ethanol produced in the second half of September, 15% was manufactured from corn, recording a production of 329.84 million liters in this period, compared to 238.45 million liters in the same period of the 2023/2024 cycle – an increase of 38.33%. . In the cumulative period from the beginning of the harvest until October 1, corn ethanol production reached 3.80 billion liters, an increase of 26.99% compared to the same period last year.
Ethanol sales
In September, total ethanol sales amounted to 2.94 billion litres, representing a positive variance of 6.24% compared to the same period of the 2023/2024 harvest.
In the local market, the total volume of hydro-ethanol sold by central and southern units reached 1.73 billion liters, recording an increase of 4.36% compared to the same period of the previous season. In contrast, anhydrous ethanol sales reached 1.03 billion liters, an increase of 10.72%.
In the accumulated period from the beginning of the harvest to the end of September, the total sales of ethanol units in the center and south reached 17.84 billion liters, registering a growth of 16.23%. The accumulated volume of hydrous ethanol reached 11.58 billion liters (+30.74%), while the volume of anhydrous ethanol reached 6.25 billion liters (-3.58%).
“Following the movement observed since the beginning of 2024, hydro-ethanol sales continue to record important growth, reflecting the competitiveness of biofuels at the pump. Since August 2023, hydro-ethanol has provided a breakeven of less than 73% of the gasoline price in São Paulo, Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso.” Do Sol and Paraná, offering the potential for decarbonisation with savings for flex-fuel vehicle owners, explained Rodriguez.
CBIOS Market
Data from B3 through October 8 indicate 32.31 million credits will be issued in 2024 by biofuel producers. The total amount of CBios available for trading with committed and non-committed parties and issuers is 28.88 million decarbonisation credits.
“Adding the CBios available for sale and the credits already drawn towards the 2024 target, we already have more than 90% of the addresses needed to meet the entire amount required by the program for the end of this year,” explained the Unica director. (unique)
