Brazil's Coaf Sugar Mill Starts Crushing, Expected to Process 900,000 Tons of Sugarcane by February 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The sugar mill of the Pernambuco Sugarcane Suppliers Cooperative (Coaf), located in Timbaúba/PE, began its 12th harvest season this Friday (21st). The mill expects to crush 900,000 tons of sugarcane by February 2027. Considering the super El Niño climate pattern already established this harvest season, this crushing volume is still regarded as one of the largest in the mill's history.

This harvest season, the mill will provide 4,000 direct jobs, with a product portfolio encompassing ethanol, cachaça, and sugar. The cooperative comprises over 700 sugarcane growers from Timbaúba and surrounding municipalities in the Zona da Mata Norte region.

Cooperative President Alexandre Andrade Lima stated that, given improved sugar prices, the cooperative decided to include sugar in its product portfolio, which had previously been planned to produce only ethanol and cachaça.

Due to well-distributed rainfall so far, the sugarcane fields of cooperative members are thriving. Even with the ongoing El Niño, Coaf expects to achieve high yields.

In the previous harvest season, Coaf's cachaça production reached 33 million liters, setting a new record for the mill's cachaça output. Lima added that production this season may continue to increase, depending on market pricing for other products in the portfolio; sugar had not previously been under consideration, and it was the recent price improvement that prompted the cooperative to reconfigure its portfolio, adding sugar production alongside ethanol.

Throughout the harvest season, the total volume of each product in the portfolio will be allocated based on market prices. Coaf has invested heavily in the sugar mill, enabling it to continuously adjust its production structure according to market prices for sugar, ethanol, and cachaça, in order to secure the best income for the cooperative's 735 members this harvest season.