US ethanol exports in May jump 61% year on year

13 July 2010 22:31  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US ethanol exports in May totalled 17.1m gal, rising by 61% from 10.6m gal a year earlier, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Tuesday.

Ethanol exports in January through May totalled 141.4m gal, more than four times the 30.3m gal exported in the same period the year before, government data showed.

The figure includes shipments of denatured and undenatured, non-beverage ethanol.

The sustained increase in US ethanol exports was fuelled by continued growth in the production of the biofuel and relatively low US prices in the international market.

The jump in exports has triggered calls by ethanol industry groups for the US to allow higher blends in gasoline.

“America must stop dragging its feet and move aggressively to open up more domestic markets to ethanol,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president Bob Dinneen.

The RFA is part of a coalition of US ethanol groups lobbying for an increase in blend levels to 15%.

The US limits blending to 10%, which the ethanol industry claims is forcing US producers to look for markets in other countries.

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By: William Lemos
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