Production units in the Center-South region processed 1.59 million tons of sugarcane in the first half of March, down 53.48% compared to the milling in the same period in 2018 (3.42 million tons). According to UNICA technical director, Antonio de Padua Rodrigues, “the smallest grinding is due to the lower number of units in operation this year and to the rainier climate in early March, which made it difficult to operate the harvest.” In the first fifteen days of March, 27 units registered sugarcane milling, in addition to another six with corn ethanol production. In the same period of 2018, 50 units were in operation. About corn ethanol, 52.76 million liters were produced in the first half of March, the highest fortnightly volume ever since the series began. The production so far amounted to 745.05 million liters, against 490.14 million liters in the last crop. In the accumulated from the beginning of the 2018/2019 harvest until March 16, 2019, milling totaled 566.05 million tons, down 3.82% in comparison with the index calculated in the same period of the previous crop. The sugar production registered in the first half of March reached only 9.08K tons, a reduction of 80.95% compared to the amount recorded in the same period of 2018. Ethanol production, in turn, totaled 141.90 million liter, with hydration (conversion of anhydrous ethanol to hydrous ethanol) of 32 million liters.
Source: UNICA