Commodity - CS Brazil H2 April sugar production expected to drop 50pc on year.

Byline: S. KAMAL HAYDER KAZMI

Sugar production in the key Center-South Brazil region is expected to total 769,400 mt in the second half of April, a decrease of 49.5 percent year on year, an SandP Global Commodity Insights survey of 10 analysts showed May 9.

"Expectations are running high that the cane crush should be the lowest since 2012 for the fortnight," according to SandP Global.

Of the 10 analysts surveyed, two large trading houses estimated the total cane crush would be between 20.0 million mt and 25.0 million mt. The average estimate was for a total cane crush of 21.26 million mt, a 28.3 percent drop year on year.

The proportion of cane used for sugar production is expected to be 33.6 percent, down from 44.5 percent a year earlier. Brazilian producers were expected to take advantage of the recent high price of ethanol during the early stages of the harvest, but long-term expectations are for mills to maximize their sugar production during the second half of the harvest.

Recoverable sugar per ton of sugarcane, or ATR, is expected to be 112.8 kg/mt, a decrease of...