Sugarcane crushing in Brazil’s Center-South region fell 14.5% in June compared with the same month of the previous harvest, according to data released by the Brazilian Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Association, known as Unica.
Mills processed 69.79 million metric tons of cane in June, down from 81.62 million tons in June 2025. Since the beginning of the 2026/27 harvest, total crushing had reached 214.47 million tons by July 1.
The slower pace reflects lower availability of raw material and varying field productivity at the start of the new harvest. Crushing levels are closely watched because they help indicate the likely supply of sugar and ethanol during the production cycle.
Sugar production followed the decline in cane processing. Mills produced 3.90 million tons in June, 26.33% less than a year earlier. Cumulative sugar output reached 10.75 million tons by July 1, down 12.38% from the comparable period of the previous harvest.
Ethanol production moved in the opposite direction. Output reached 3.80 billion liters in June, a 2.47% increase from the same month of the prior harvest. Cumulative production for the 2026/27 cycle totaled 11.37 billion liters, up 20.44% year over year.
The increase was partly supported by the expansion of corn-based ethanol, which does not depend on sugarcane crushing. Producers made 796.13 million liters of corn ethanol in June, an 8.40% increase from a year earlier. The fuel represented 20.98% of all ethanol produced in the Center-South during the month.
Cumulative corn-ethanol production reached 2.39 billion liters by July 1, an increase of 9.96% compared with the corresponding period of the previous harvest.
At the end of June, 255 production units were operating in the region. Of those, 235 processed sugarcane, 11 produced ethanol from corn and nine were flexible plants capable of using both feedstocks.
The figures come from Unica and represent single-source reporting. They show a harvest in which reduced cane processing has weighed on sugar production, while corn has helped sustain ethanol output.
Source: CNN Brasil.