According to Cepea research, in May, ethanol prices rose in the state of São Paulo, recovering only a portion of the losses recorded between March and April. The support for values came from the return, albeit gradual, of consumption in some important consumer centers in the country.

Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the good advantage of hydrated ethanol at São Paulo stations favored demand and made distributors in need of replenishing stocks. In addition to demand, another factor that gave support to ethanol prices in São Paulo was the firm stance of sellers throughout May, even at the beginning of the season in the Center-South region.

In the case of anhydrous ethanol, the growth in the number of deals in the spot market is noteworthy, due to the postponement of the period defined for the establishment of contracts, aiming at complying with Resolution No. 67 of the ANP by the distributors. Thus, due to contracts not yet signed, sales on the spot increased in May compared to the previous month.

The average of the values of the full weeks of the CEPEA / ESALQ Indicator of hydrated ethanol was R $ 1.4352 / liter, an increase of 5.75% in comparison with the full weeks of April. For the CEPEA / ESALQ Indicator for anhydrous ethanol, the increase was only 0.4%, with an average of R $ 1.5803 / liter on the spot.