Brazil October ethanol exports plummet by 39.7%

05 November 2007 20:54  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Brazil's ethanol exports in October totalled 328.4m litres (87m gal), a 39.7% drop from 544.8m litres one year earlier, according to data released on Monday by Brazil’s Foreign Trade ministry.

Ethanol exports in October fell by 2.4% from 336.6m litres in September, the fourth consecutive monthly drop, official figures showed.

Despite the downward trend, Brazil’s ethanol exports for January-October were still in positive territory at 2.97bn litres, up by 4.2% from 2.85bn litres in the same period last year, according to data from the trade ministry.

Brazil exported 3.4bn litres of ethanol in 2006. That figure is expected to drop by as much as 10% this year due chiefly to weaker US demand.

Brazil’s anhydrous ethanol prices were assessed at $430-440 (€297-304)/cubic metre (cbm) Santos FOB (free on board) in the week ended 31 October, up from $420-430/cbm four weeks earlier, according to global chemical market intelligence service ICIS pricing.

Brazil is the world’s top exporter of ethanol and the second-largest producer of the biofuel after the US.

Brazil Ethanol Exports
	2006	2007	Change
January	159.7	337.4	111.20%
February	145.1	207.8	43.20%
March	188.1	224.3	19.20%
April	144.3	283.9	96.70%
May	101	278.7	175.90%
June	166.3	214.2	28.80%
July	563.3	410.4	-27.10%
August	479.7	351.6	-26.70%
September	361.2	336.6	-6.81%
October	544.8	328.4	-39.70%

(Source: Brazil’s Foreign Trade Ministry)

($1.00 = €0.69)

By: William Lemos
+1 713 525 2653

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