Ceres and Raizen Sign Multi-Year Collaboration to Scale-Up Sweet Sorghum for Ethanol

Agricultural biotech company, Ceres, Inc., and Brazilian energy company Raizen S.A., announced last week that they will collaborate to develop and produce sweet sorghum. Under the multi-year agreement, each company will contribute in-kind services and resources and share in the ethanol revenue generated from the sweet sorghum.

Sweet sorghum is attractive to Brazilian sugarcane to ethanol mills because it can compliment existing feedstock supplies and can help extend the operating season. Raizen has taken particular interest in sweet sorghum in hopes that developing and scaling it up can grow margins increase supply for its sugar and ethanol mills. The company has conducted field and industrial evaluations of Ceres' sweet sorghum hybrids since 2011.

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