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Trade Monitor
Global Sales of U.S. Ethanol Moderately Recovered in June while U.S. DDGS Exports Eased from Prior Gains

August 5, 2021

Trade, Exports

           

August 5, 2021 — American exports of ethanol bounced back by 16% in June to 81.9 million gallons. Nearly three-fourths of all U.S. ethanol exports were shipped to just three countries, with Brazil and China markedly absent from the list. Exports to Canada—our largest customer—jumped 23% to 33.5 mg. South Korea imported 15.9 mg (up 76%) and Peru imported a record 9.4 mg (a seven-fold increase from May). Other substantial markets included Mexico (5.4 mg, up 68% to a ten-month high), the Netherlands (3.8 mg), Jamaica (3.3 mg), India (3.2 mg), and Sweden (2.0 mg). U.S. ethanol exports for the first half of 2021 totaled 664.2 mg, or 7% less than last year at this time.

 

The U.S. logged the first significant imports of foreign ethanol of the year. Brazil exported 12.6 mg of undenatured ethanol while a minimal volume of denatured ethanol arrived from France and Canada.

 

U.S. exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS)—the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants—eased 10% to 939,177 metric tons (mt). Mexico imported 232,786 mt (slipping 9%), representing a quarter of all U.S. DDGS exports in June, and remained our top customer for the ninth consecutive month. Sales to Vietnam were robust at 119,463 mt (up 11%) and New Zealand imported a record 66,612 mt. However, DDGS exports to South Korea dropped 28% to 72,857 mt for the lowest volume in a year. Other larger trade partners included Indonesia (61,148 mt, down 6%), Turkey (55,727 mt, down 29%), Canada (55,388 mt, up 45% to the largest volume in nearly two years), Japan (34,744 mt, down 35%), Israel (32,658 mt, up 19%), and Thailand (25,209 mt, down 52%). Total DDGS exports for the first half of the year totaled 5.42 million mt, or 10% ahead of last year.