Ethanol production up in Brazil’s northeast due to severe dryness

In Brazil, anhydrous ethanol production in the country’s north and northeast is up 10.5% through mid-January at about 1 billion liters. The overall sugarcane crush, however, is down 11% on the year at 39.2 million metric tons. Dry weather has meant lower sugar recovery in the cane, pushing ethanol production higher while sacrificing sugar production, which is currently down 31% on the year at 2.15 million tons.