Sugar and ethanol production declines in the Center-South

In monitoring the 2025/2026 sugarcane harvest, the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Union (Unica) points out that, in the accumulated period up to August 16, milling in the Center-South totaled 353,88 million tons, compared to 378,98 million in the same period of the previous harvest – a decrease of 25,10 million tons.

Despite the accumulated drop, the first half of the month saw 47,63 million tons processed, compared to 44,03 million in the same period of the 2024/2025 harvest – an increase of 8,17%.

In terms of raw material quality, Total Recoverable Sugars (TRS) fell below historical levels, reaching 144,83 kg per ton of sugarcane, compared to 151,17 kg in the previous harvest (-4,19%). Since the beginning of the harvest, the TRS has reached 129,26 kg per ton, a decrease of 4,47%.

Sugar and ethanol production

In the first fifteen days of August, sugar production totaled 3,62 million tons. The cumulative total for the harvest reached 22,89 million tons, a 4,67% decrease compared to the previous cycle (1,12 million tons less).

Ethanol production in the period reached 2,19 billion liters, of which 1,29 billion liters were hydrous ethanol (-12,95%) and 901,33 million liters were anhydrous ethanol (+8,63%). For the harvest as a whole, production totaled 16,07 billion liters, a decrease of 11,12%, including 10,12 billion liters of hydrous ethanol (-12,03%) and 5,95 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol (-9,53%).

Of the total produced in the first two weeks, 17,05% of the ethanol came from corn, totaling 373,94 million liters (+14,98%). Overall, corn ethanol reached 3,32 billion liters – an increase of 20,10%.

Ethanol sales

In the first half of August, sales totaled 1,48 billion liters, with an 11% increase in anhydrous ethanol (615,35 million liters) and a 10,15% decrease in hydrated ethanol (865,59 million liters).

In the domestic market, hydrous ethanol sales reached 838,18 million liters (-9,18%), while anhydrous ethanol reached 592,16 million liters (+21,55%). In the accumulated harvest, sales totaled 12,96 billion liters, a decrease of 2,69%: 8,18 billion liters of hydrous ethanol (-5,75%) and 4,78 billion liters of anhydrous ethanol (+3,04%).

CBios market

According to B3 data as of August 27, 28,06 million decarbonization credits (CBios) were issued by biofuel producers in 2025. The volume available for trading is 32,16 million credits.

Luciano Rodrigues, Director of Sector Intelligence at Unica, highlights that "with four months remaining, the industry has already allocated approximately 115% of the credits needed to meet distributors' 2025 targets." He emphasizes that the consistent pace of CBios issuance demonstrates the sector's commitment to Brazil's decarbonization goals.

Since RenovaBio's inception, the policy has contributed to reducing more than 185 million tons of CO₂, combining increasing targets, technical certification, and encouraging environmental performance. Currently, 294 ethanol, 5 biomethane, and 40 biodiesel production units are certified, representing more than 90% of Brazil's biofuel production.