UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has announced ethanol sales for February were up nearly 5 percent when compared to the same month of 2022. Corn ethanol production also continued to grow.

Mills on the south-central region of Brazil processed 71,790 tons of sugarcane during the second half of February, down 54.95 percent when compared to the same period of last year. Since the beginning of the current harvest season, which began April 1, 2022, mills in the region have processed 542.54 million tons of sugarcane, up 3.78 percent when compared to the same period of the previous harvest season.

Ethanol production for the second half of February was at 154.7 million liters (40.87 million gallons), up 19.69 percent when compared to the same period of last year. Production included 99.7 million liters of hydrous ethanol, down 20.1 percent, and 55 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up significantly when compared to the 4.6 million liters produced during the same period of 2022. Corn ethanol accounted for 149.81 million liters, or 97 percent, of production during the two-week period, up 26.19 percent when compared to last year.

Ethanol production since the beginning of the current harvest season reached 28.25 billion liters, up 3.69 percent. Production included 16.22 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, down 0.7 percent, and 12.03 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 10.27 percent. Corn ethanol accounted for 3.99 billion liters of production, up 26.36 percent.

Mills in the south-central region sold 2.12 billion liters of ethanol in February, up 4.87 percent when compared to the same month of last year. Domestically, sales of hydrous ethanol were at 1.09 billion liters, down 1.89 percent, with sales of anhydrous ethanol at 879.76 million liters, up 4.48 percent. Export sales for the month included 88.1 million liters of hydrous ethanol, up 9.36 percent, and 67.13 million liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 362 percent.

Total ethanol sales since the beginning of the current harvest season include 15.24 billion liters of hydrous ethanol, up 0.85 percent, and 11.55 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol, up 16.5 percent. According to UNICA, 6 percent of hydrous ethanol sales were destined for export, along with 12 percent of anhydrous ethanol sales. Domestic sales of hydrous ethanol reached 14.3 billion liters, up 0.47 percent, with domestic sales of anhydrous ethanol at 10.13 billion liters, up 8.13 percent.