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Minnesota corn farmer sees room to grow ethanol exports

A Minnesota corn farmer sees a lot of room to grow ethanol exports once the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

Harold Wolle of Madelia participated in a Minnesota Farmfest virtual forum Wednesday focused on trade and global supply chains.

“China, certainly potential there. But under the current tariff situation, exports are not going to China.”

The past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers points out the Chinese were preparing to implement a nationwide 10 percent ethanol mandate before the COVID-19 outbreak worsened.

“If they’d come back to that, they don’t have the domestic production capabilities to supply their market. Brazil’s been one of the top importers for us. They have a new program, RenovaBio.”

Wolle says that program should result in more exports to Brazil, but a 20 percent tariff rate quota remains an obstacle.

He’s also hopeful hurdles can be cleared in Mexico, India, and Southeast Asia.