El Salvador’s sugar agroindustry is experiencing a robust season, driven by a 8.18% growth in production during the current 2025-2026 harvest. According to the latest weekly report from the Salvadoran Sugar Agroindustry Council (CONSAA), accumulated production reached 13,308,525 quintals of sugar by March 22, 2026, noticeably outpacing the 12.2 million quintals recorded during the same period in the previous cycle.

This upward trend is largely backed by heightened industrial efficiency and improved agricultural performance. Sugar mills processed 5,708,887 short tons of sugarcane, while the average physical yield optimized from 227.67 to 235.85 pounds per short ton. Regionally, the Izalco sugar mill continues to spearhead national production with over 3.5 million quintals, closely followed by El Ángel and Chaparrastique, alongside a solid 9.8% increase in molasses output.

However, the sector is currently navigating significant headwinds due to a dramatic spike in unauthorized crop fires. CONSAA registered 328,739 short tons of unplanned burned cane—nearly doubling the 170,567 tons from the previous cycle—triggering 386 official complaints. Preliminary institutional assessments link the majority of these incidents to criminal activity and accidental causes, with La Cabaña and Izalco mills bearing the heaviest impact.

Despite these operational disruptions, the Salvadoran sugar sector maintains highly competitive productivity standards, averaging 68.40 short tons per manzana. CONSAA noted that while current figures remain preliminary and have not yet been certified by the corresponding auditing firm, the overall outlook reflects an incredibly resilient commodity supply chain capable of sustaining its positive momentum.