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Manila setting ethanol example

A member of the National Corn Growers ethanol committee says the capital city of the Philippines is moving forward with its renewable fuel goals.

Jerry Demmer of Clarks Grove, Minnesota traveled with the U.S. Grains Council to Manila this past January and says the city wants to move from 10 percent ethanol blends to 20 percent by the year 2020.

“They’re going to get there.  It’s not a big market, but what that says is that they are willing to blend at higher rates in order to get cleaner air.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the American Coalition for Ethanol Conference in Minneapolis, Demmer says larger markets like China, India and Mexico may want to follow Manila’s lead.

“Huge markets for American ethanol.  Politics plays a big role in getting (ethanol) into their countries, and I get that.  But that’s one way for them to be green and clean up their air, is to buy our ethanol.”

The Philippines was the number three importer of U.S. ethanol in 2015, behind Canada and Brazil.