The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) has reported a continued rise in corn ethanol production during the first half of March, even as overall ethanol sales declined compared to the same period last year, reported Ethanol Producer Magazine.
According to the latest data, mills in Brazil’s south-central region processed 1.83 million metric tons of sugarcane during the first two weeks of March—down from 2.22 million metric tons during the same timeframe in 2023. Since the start of the 2024–25 harvest season on April 1, 2024, a total of 617.28 million metric tons of sugarcane has been processed, marking a 4.94% decrease from the previous harvest.
Ethanol production in the region reached 441.5 million liters (116.63 million gallons) in the first half of March. Of this total, hydrous ethanol accounted for 367 million liters—a 9.18% increase—while anhydrous ethanol production surged by 144.2% to 74.6 million liters. Corn ethanol contributed 365.47 million liters, representing 82.77% of total production and showing a 41.08% increase from the same period last year.
Since the beginning of the current harvest season, total ethanol production has climbed to 34.42 billion liters—up 4.11%. This includes 22.09 billion liters of hydrous ethanol (up 10.14%) and 12.33 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol (down 5.19%). Corn ethanol production alone reached 7.83 billion liters, up 31.22% from the previous season.
Despite the rise in production, ethanol sales fell in the first half of March. Mills in the south-central region sold 1.34 billion liters of ethanol during this period. Domestic sales included 805.6 million liters of hydrous ethanol, down 15%, while anhydrous ethanol sales rose by 4.18% to 482.36 million liters.
Overall, ethanol sales for the 2024–25 harvest season have totaled 34.03 billion liters, an increase of 8.91% compared to the same period last year. This includes 21.9 billion liters of hydrous ethanol (up 14.66%) and 12.13 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol (down 0.13%).
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