SAO PAULO: The Brazilian government on Thursday reduced its projections for center-south sugar and cane-based ethanol production in the current crop, despite the expectation of a slightly larger crush, blaming lower sugar content in the cane.

According to a report by agricultural statistics agency Conab, Brazil's center-south region is expected to produce 28.97 million tonnes of sugar in 2019-20 compared to 31.44 million tonnes projected in May. The region is expected to crush 571 million tonnes in the period, 5 million tonnes more than previously estimated.