Brazil’s apex sugar body, UNICA, on Wednesday, said that the sugar production in the Centre-South region reached 254.24 thousand tonnes in the first half of December 2025, and the cumulative sugar output for the season stood at 40.16 million tonnes, compared to 39.81 million tonnes in the same period of the 2024-2025 harvest season.
Ethanol production in CS Brazil reached 740.61 million litres in the first half of December, and the cumulative ethanol output for the harvest was 30.27 billion litres, the Association said.
As production slows, the focus shifts towards the 2026-27 season, with all eyes on CS Brazil, especially for India, as it holds significant importance for the global sugar trade. India expects a good sugar production in the ongoing season, which is an onerous task in itself for the industry to manage the excess sugar production and generate enough liquidity.
Brazil Outlook
ChiniMandi spoke with Peter de Klerk, Senior Economist at the International Sugar Organisation, regarding his perspective on the dynamics of sugar production in Brazil.
Brazil’s core sugarcane growing region- Centre South, is expected to produce about 620 mn tonnes of cane. Sugar production is expected to increase only marginally by 0.3 mn tonnes from the current season in CS Brazil.
“This is not huge, and its impact will be limited.” He added that the output ratio of sugar to ethanol is projected at 49/51 for the 2026/27 season.
Commenting on Brazilian domestic prices, Peter said that “Given the decline in sugar export values, ethanol is more remunerative today, which supports the lower sugar ratio anticipated for next season”.
