Argentinian ethanol sales in April reached 86.4 million liters, up 30% on the year, but down 1% from the previous month, data from the ministry of energy and mines showed.
On a daily basis, however, sales in April were 2% higher than March at 2.88 million liters, the data showed. April had one fewer day than March.
Among the provinces, Cordoba accounted for nearly 36% of the total sales, while Tucuman accounted for 26%.
Jujuy province was in third with 13%, followed by Salta with 10%. San Luis and Santa Fe provinces had the lowest share at 9% and 6%, respectively.
Ethanol sales in April represented a blend into gasoline of 11.95%, the closest to the mandate, since government in April last year increased to 12% from 10% previously. That compared with a blend of 9.98% a year ago.
Gasoline sales reached 723.09 million liters in April, up 9% on the year, but down 7% on the month, data showed.
In March, ethanol mixed represented 11.27% of total gasoline sales at 776.38 million liters.
Ethanol output in April amounted to nearly 80.57 million liters, up 33% on the year, but down 3% from March.
Ethanol from the feedstock cane accounted for 44% of the total, or 35.35 million liters. The balance was corn ethanol.
January through April sales rose 25% on the year to 349.4 million liters, which represented a mix of 11.58% in gasoline compared with 9.63% over the same period last year.
That was a result of a higher blend into gasoline and also due to gasoline consumption that has increased this year. January-April gasoline sales were up 4% on the year to 3.02 billion liters.
Cumulative ethanol production in the first four months of the year was 327.7 million liters, energy ministry data showed.
Of that total production, ethanol from sugarcane accounted for 45%, or 147.4 million liters, up 73% on the year, while the balance was ethanol from corn, up 5% on the year.
With the rise in the mandatory blend to 12%, ethanol from cane was boosted as the government stated that additional supply would have to come from cane as a support to the industry.
In 2016, ethanol from cane grew 19% year on year to 400 million liters, while ethanol from corn rose 2% to nearly 490 million liters, data showed.
Ethanol sales last year totaled nearly 911 million liters, up 13% year on year. That represented on average 10.52% of ethanol blended into gasoline, according to the ministry data.
Kingsman, an agricultural unit of S&P Global Platts, estimates an increase of 3% in gasoline sales to 8.96 billion liters for 2017. Ethanol mixed is expected to represent nearly 11.7%, said Kingsman.
