Sugarcane crushing in the Center-South region reached 43.69 million tons in the second half of May, which represents an increase of 0.04% over the same period last year. In the accumulated harvest, crushing totaled 107.13 million tons compared to 130.44 million tons registered in the same month of 2021, a decline of 17.88%. Preliminary information released by the Sugarcane Technology Center, for a common sample of 68 production units, indicates that 74.8 tons per hectare were harvested in May 2022, which is equivalent to the agricultural yield in comparison with the same period in the 2021/2021 harvest. From the beginning of the 2022/2023 harvest to June 1, 2022, sugar production totals 5.05 million tons, when compared to 7.19 million tons in the previous cycle (down 29.78%). “The decision of the producing units remains to prioritize the production of ethanol. So far, 855,000 tons of sugar have not been manufactured due to the change in the production mix, resulting in a greater amount for biofuel production”, explains Unica’s technical director, Antonio de Padua Rodrigues.
Source: ÚNICA/Noticias Agrícolas (*Translated by Ia Niani)