Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Sugar output in Brazil’s Center South, the world’s largest producing region, rose 17 percent in the first half of October, industry association Unica said.

Output climbed to 1.76 million metric tons in the first two weeks of the month, from 1.5 million tons in the year-earlier period, Unica said in an e-mailed statement today.

Cane growers in the Center South, where about 90 percent of the country’s sugar and ethanol is produced, harvested 23.4 million tons, down 11 percent from the 26.2 million tons reaped a year earlier.

Ethanol output declined 13 percent to 1.11 billion liters (293 million gallons) in the period.

There were 45 mills closed for the season by Oct. 15, according to the statement. Unica said it may revise its harvest estimates on Nov. 1.

--With assistance from Isis Almeida in London. Editors: Claudia Carpenter,

To contact the reporter on this story: Carlos Caminada in Rio de Janeiro at ccaminada1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dale Crofts at dcrofts@bloomberg.net