Brazil's Center-South Region Stored 2.65 Billion Liters of Ethanol on the Eve of Official Harvest Season End

Brazil's Center-South sugar mills held 2.65 billion liters of ethanol in stock as of March 16, a 25% decrease compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. This downward trend continued in the first half of March, with inventories falling by 829.25 million liters. Restricted supply and rising oil prices, driven by Middle East conflicts, sustained ethanol prices. São Paulo, a major producer, saw its ethanol stocks drop by 28.5% year-on-year.

According to data released by Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) last Wednesday, March 1st, the first fifteen days of March continued the downward trend in ethanol inventories at sugarcane mills in the Center-South region. As of March 16th, producing units in the region stored 2.65 billion liters of the biofuel, representing a 25% reduction compared to the same date in 2025. On a bi-weekly comparison, the decline was 23.8%, or 829.25 million liters. Researchers from the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea) at Esalq-USP noted that the restricted volume of available biofuel, coupled with rising oil prices due to conflicts in the Middle East, sustained ethanol prices during this period. In São Paulo, the largest producing and consuming state for biofuel, sugar-energy companies held 1.35 billion liters in stock at the end of the fortnight, a 28.5% decrease compared to a year earlier.