Enough corn for ethanol, food - US farm leader

26 February 2008 16:11  [Source: ICIS news]

ORLANDO, Florida (ICIS news)--US ethanol production will soar in the coming years, but it will not affect the food supply because the US will have enough corn to produce both biofuels and food, a farm industry official said on Tuesday.

A future improvement in corn yields will be the key to meet the expected surge in corn demand, said National Corn Growers CEO Rick Tolman at an ethanol industry event in Orlando.

US corn yields were at 151.1 bushels/acre in 2007. That figure will at least double by 2030, Tolman said, adding that continued research would also allow for a significant increase in ethanol yields in the next seven years.

US corn production in 2007 was a record 13.1bn bushels. Tolman said 22% of that amount was used to produce 6.5bn gal (24.6bn litres) of ethanol.

Tolman dismissed as “immoral” the charge from ethanol critics that increased US corn-based biofuel production will lead to global hunger.

The charge that ethanol has also driven up US food prices is false, he said, claiming that US corn farmers get less than 9 cents of every dollar spent on food.

Tolman acknowledged US corn prices were up in 2007, but he said the cost of the feedstock, at $3.04/bushel, was still lower than $1.03/bushel in 1944, discounting inflation.

Tolman spoke at the annual Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) ethanol conference.

Bookmark Simon Robinson’s Big Biofuels Blog for some independent thinking on biofuels. For more on ethanol visit ICIS chemical intelligence

By: William Lemos
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