Sugar stocks in Brazil on February 29 were 19% down on year at nearly 4.7 million mt, data from the agriculture ministry, or MAPA, showed late Thursday.
The 2015-2016 sugarcane season in the key Center-South region began April 1, while in the largest producing states in the North-Northeast, it started in September.
Of the total inventory, 86% or 4.02 million mt refers to stocks in Center-South, which were down down 16% year on year. The balance, or 651,640 mt, are stocks in the North-Northeast, which were down 32% year on year.
Stocks of VHP or very high polarization raw sugar amounted to 2.57 million mt, down 9% year on year.
Inventory of crystal sugar with color up to 180 totaled 1.66 million mt, down 31% year on year, while stocks of crystal sugar with color from 181-300 totaled 135,090 mt, down 4% from the same period last year.
The lower the color, the whiter the sugar.
Stocks of the remaining sugar -- raw demerara, refined amorfo and granulated, organic and liquid -- were down 20% on year at 304,714 mt.
In Center-South, accumulated sugar production through February 29 was 30.53 million mt, down 4% year on year, MAPA data showed. Sugar exports stood at 21.2 million mt, while sugar sales to the domestic market totaled 8.45 million mt. There was no export or domestic sales data for comparison from previous season.
In the North-Northeast, accumulated sugar production through February 29 was down 17% year on year at 2.5 million mt.
