U.S. Grains Council (USGC) President and CEO Ryan LeGrand and USGC Director of Global Ethanol Export Development Alicia Koch traveled to Japan this week to participate in a roundtable meeting with energy and transportation sector leaders to discuss how the U.S. ethanol industry can support Japan’s carbon emission reduction goals.
The event, organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), also included leaders from Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to offer their input on how U.S. corn and ethanol production can benefit stakeholders in Japan.
“Japan recently announced its intention to move to blending gasoline with 10 percent ethanol (E10) by 2030 and an E20 blend by 2040, a decision that will have hugely positive impacts on consumers who will save money at the pump but also for their environment,” LeGrand said. “The Council is a longtime ally of the Japanese agricultural and transportation sectors, and we look forward to continuing to facilitate mutually beneficial trade of ethanol between the U.S. and Japan.”
Officials from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism and Ministry of Environment attended the event to provide updates on Japan’s biofuel integration efforts and hear more about the advantages of U.S. ethanol.
After the roundtable, LeGrand and Koch joined staff based in the Council’s Japan office for a separate meeting with METI to show support for Japan’s ethanol policy ambitions and develop strategies to expand the use of U.S. ethanol in Japan.
“Japan was U.S. agriculture’s second largest trading partner in marketing year 2023/2024, and there is still so much potential to grow thanks to the Japanese government’s decision to increase ethanol blending,” LeGrand said. “Maintaining relationships with the influential businesses at this roundtable event and beyond will be vital to defending the U.S. ethanol industry’s market share in Japan and leveraging that into further sales as biofuel policies continue to develop here.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in Japan here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.