Brasília – The Brazilian sugar and alcohol industry should harvest 66.44 million tonnes this year. In case the forecast, which was announced today by the National Food Supply Company (Conab), proves true, it will be the best result ever, representing growth of 9.9% compared with the previous crop, which had set the last record.
According to the Conab, new plants went into operation, and that contributed for the good result. A total of 10 new units were inaugurated, being three in the state of Minas Gerais, two in São Paulo, two in Goiás, and one each in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio de Janeiro. Average productivity also increased by 0.6% in comparison with last year, and totalled 82.1 tonnes per hectare.
The Conab informed that the harvest is in its initial phase at most cane farms. During the last crop, excessive rains prevented the harvesting of approximately 60 million tonnes, which should be ground now, which led to a decline in product quality. However, the same rains benefited the development of crops this year in nearly all producing regions.
According to the survey conducted among plants, cooperatives and other sector organizations, from March 28th to April 16th, 54.6%, or 362.8 million tonnes, should be processed into 28.5 billion litres of hydrated and anhydrous ethanol.
The remainder, 45.4%, or 301.6 million tonnes, goes into the production 38.7 million tonnes of sugar, nearly 6 million tonnes more than in the previous crop. Annual domestic consumption is around 11 million tonnes of sugar.
In the present crop, the area planted with sugarcane totals 8.1 million hectares, 9.2% more than in the previous year. The state of São Paulo has 4.4 million hectares, followed by Minas Gerais, with 648,000 hectares, Paraná, with 608,000 hectares, Goiás, with 601,000 hectares, and Alagoas, with 464,000 hectares. Overall, the planted area is equivalent to 0.95% of the Brazilian territory.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
