Brazilian mills are unlikely to have an early start to the 2022/23 sugarcane season, despite a good amount of recent rains, as it will take longer for sugarcane to develop and be available for crushing, Industry group (Unica) said. Unica estimates sugarcane crushing in the center-south region in Brazil from January to March will reach around 4 million tons, down about 50% when compared to the same period last year, said Antonio de Padua Rodrigues, Unica’s technical director. The mills usually start crushing again in the first quarter, when there is sugarcane available. Padua doesn’t see that happening this season. He said the worst drought in 90 years in Brazil last year made mills crush quicker, and there was not much sugarcane left in the fields to be harvested earlier in 2022. According to Unica, rains in December and January, in good volumes, will be positive for the next crop, but plants will mostly not be ready before the official start in April.
Sources: Reuters/Nova Cana (*Translated by Ia Niani)