SAO PAULO: Sugar output in April in the world’s top producer was 35% below the same period a year earlier as fewer mills have started the crushing season and sugar content lags the previous crop, industry group Unica said on Tuesday.

Brazil’s centre-south sugar output was only 624,000 tonnes in the first half of April versus 971,000 tonnes in a similar period last year. Cane crush was seen at 15.6 million tonnes, 30% less than in 2020, Unica said.

Ethanol production fell 25% to 731 million litres in the period, but that includes 111 million litres of corn-based fuel. Unica said that 141 mills in the centre-south region were crushing sugar cane in the first half of April versus 180 mills at that time last year, as some companies are waiting longer to start the season to give plants time to grow, since drier-than-normal weather hurt cane development in recent months.