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Latin American delegation sees U.S. ethanol supply chain firsthand

The American Coalition for Ethanol, U.S. Grains Council, and South Dakota Corn Utilization Council recently hosted a group from Central America interested in learning about the U.S. ethanol supply chain.

ACE chief marketing officer Ron Lamberty says the delegation of private sector and government officials from Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala toured a South Dakota farm, ethanol plant, fuel retailer, and pipeline terminal.

“And what we wanted to do was show them basically how ethanol is handled in the U.S. because all three of those countries are planning to go to a 5 or 10 percent blend of ethanol by 2025.”

He tells Brownfield there are many misconceptions about corn-based ethanol in Latin America.

“And a lot of it is what we’ve seen over the years, it’s the same kind of mythology that’s out there that crops up every time you either add ethanol or want to increase the percentage somewhere.”

Lamberty says ultimately the goal is to get more business for U.S. ethanol and he’s confident the delegates will return to their countries with confidence and certainty as their nations move forward with ethanol blending programs.