China pumps up U.S. ethanol exports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the United States in October exported more ethanol to China than in the previous 10 years combined.    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited a “significant jump” in ethanol exports to China in 2015, following a department-led trade mission to the country last year. 
   “U.S. ethanol exports to China have jumped from $8 million to more than $86 million since our May 2014 visit. In October, we exported more ethanol to China than in the previous 10 years combined,” said Michael Scuse, USDA’s undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, who led the mission. 
   Representatives from nine state agriculture departments and 28 U.S. companies, including renewable fuels businesses, traveled to northeast China to seek out trade opportunities in the region.
   The delegation met with Chinese gasoline companies, fuel blenders, oil companies, commodity traders, and government officials to promote the benefits of using higher ethanol blends. During October, the United States exported 32.5 million gallons of ethanol to China, valued at $57 million, or 46 percent of total U.S. ethanol exports for the month. Previous U.S. exports of ethanol to China averaged less than $3 million annually from 2005 to 2014, according to USDA.
   The United States’ agricultural industry includes some of the country’s biggest exporters. 
   “The past seven years have represented the strongest period for American agricultural exports in the history of our country, with U.S. agricultural product exports totaling $911.3 billion between fiscal years 2009 and 2015. In fiscal year 2015, American farmers and ranchers exported $139.7 billion of food and agricultural goods to consumers worldwide,” USDA said.