A 4.1. What is the sugar-cane crop period in Brazils Center-South region?
The Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry is a processor of the agricultural product that is sugar-cane. Sugar-cane is a type of grass that, once matured, has a great content of sugars (approximately 1/3 of the dry stalk matter). Sugar-cane is a semi-perennial crop, as it can be harvested with no need for replanting fro 5 to 7 harvesting seasons (i.e. 5 to 7 years). Following that period, a rotation can be made by growing a different crop in the land for one crop period (peanuts, for example), whereupon sugar-cane growing is resumed. In Brazils Center-South region, the sugar-cane harvesting period extends for 8 months, on average, commencing in April and ending in November. Once it is harvested, sugar-cane cannot be stored; it must be received at the industrial plant within no longer than 72 hours of its harvesting in order to avoid quality losses due to the action of bacteria and yeasts. Sugar-cane harvested more than 5 days earlier is usually not accepted by the plants. For this reaso
