Brazilian sugar production and exports will reach record levels this season, as mills increase the ration of cane diverted to sugar, rather than ethanol, in response to rising prices and a weak currency which incentivises exports. USDA bureau in Brasilia forecast sugar exports at 29.07m tonnes in the 2017-18 season, which has just started, up 1.3 million tonnes from the previous season. Total Brazilian sugar production was forecast also a record level, of 39.65 million tonnes, up 0.5 million tonnes year-on-year. This increase in production is expected despite a 6.5 million tonne drop in the sugar cane crop, to 645 million tonnes, due to irregular weather conditions in some growing areas and aging of sugarcane fields.