Mills crushed 17.66 million tonnes of cane in the period, sharply up from the 7.96 million tonnes reported in the previous fortnight. Ethanol production jumped to 687 million liters in the first half of April versus 327 million liters late in March (see tables below for details).
Unica said a total of 159 sugar mills were operating in Brazil's top cane belt during the first half of April out of around 275 expected to run in the 2017/18 season. It said that 72 more mills likely started crushing in the second half of April and 26 additional plants will start early in May.
Brazil's center-south cane crop is expected to reach a total crush of 585 million tonnes in the current season, almost 4 percent below the previous crop, as ageing cane fields and stagnant planting reduce cane volumes.
According to Unica, crushing has started off at a slower pace compared to last year, when mills began processing earlier the cane from the previous crop that had been left in the fields.