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Brazil mills enhance sugar capacity, 'leave' ethanol to corn processors

Brazil walking cane mills will improve their sugar production capability as much as 10% in the brand-new season from April to make the most of reasonably high sugar costs and as increasing supplies of corn make the grain a cheap feedstock for ethanol output.

Brazil is the world's biggest sugar producer. It accounted for almost 50% of global sugar trade last year as undesirable weather due to the El Nino environment pattern decreased output and exports from rivals India and Thailand.

Sugar rates have actually dipped from a 12-year peak hit in November, however are still traditionally high. Brazilian mills are hurrying to finish growths or new plants to enhance their sugar production capability, analysts stated.

Every mill that can do it (boost sugar capacity), is doing it, said Julio Maria Borges, a director and partner at task Economia e Planejamento, an advisory firm.

The distinction on monetary returns between sugar and ethanol is just too huge.

Sugar prices are presently 60% higher than Brazilian ethanol costs, broker and supply chain providers Czarnikow stated in a report today. It is the best rate space in 15 years.

Amongst a few of the biggest sugar investments are Jalles Machado's 170 million reais ($ 34.19 million) plant in Minas Gerais state, Cerradinho Bionergia's 289 million reais factory in Mato Grosso do Sul and Coruripe's 200 million reais brand-new sugar assembly line also in Minas Gerais.

France's Tereos, which has 7 plants in Brazil, plans to assign 70% of its sugarcane for sugar production, and 30% to ethanol. That is an increase from the currently high level of 67% last season.

Numerous other mills are making smaller sized adjustments, enhancing sugar installations. Cane allowance towards sugar production - and away from ethanol production - across Brazil in 2015 was the biggest in 12 years at 49%. The majority of analysts anticipate it to be a. record in the new season.

CLIMATE HIT

In spite of the increase in sugar production capability, Brazil is. unlikely to produce more of the sweetener in the brand-new season than. it carried out in 2023/24.

We had (in 23/24) a climate that resembled lab, just. perfect, Borges said.

It rained well at the right time, and then was dry for. harvest. We are not seeing this now.

Cumulative rains in the main sugar location of Ribeirao Preto. in Brazil this year, for instance, is 50% below regular, according. to GFS climate modeling.

Tereos expects Brazil's Centre-South (CS) sugarcane. production to fall below 600 million heaps in 2024/25 from 660. million tons in 2023/24.

Broker StoneX still projects a record sugar production in. the new season at 43 million heaps, saying the increase in walking cane. allowance to sugar production, at the expense of ethanol, will. offset a smaller sugarcane volume.

CORN ETHANOL

StoneX approximates that production of ethanol from sugarcane. will fall by almost 3 billion liters in 2024/25, or 10.4%, to. 24.5 billion liters. It stated output of corn-based ethanol, on. the other side, will grow 16% to 7.2 billion liters.

There is a change in the market, said StoneX sugar and. ethanol analyst Filipi Cardoso. Corn-ethanol is more. cost-efficient, so walking stick mills are going for sugar.

Corn production has broadened quickly throughout Brazil, which. ended up being the world's leading corn exporter last year. That has likewise. motivated the growth of corn-based ethanol production. Generally, ethanol in Brazil has actually been made from sugar walking stick. instead of ethanol.

Brazilian corn ethanol production was less than 1 billion. liters five years earlier and this crop it could reach 5 billion. liters, and 10 billion in the next 5-6 years, stated Citi. analysts.

Brazil is among the world's largest customers of ethanol as. a transport fuel. The biofuel represented 46% of light lorry. fuel use in Brazil in 2023, or 28.5 billion liters.

The quick growth of corn ethanol production, however, has. capped prices for the biofuel in Brazil, another factor that has. urged sugar mills to concentrate on sugar.