Recently, the U.S. Grains Council escorted a group of key ethanol industry stakeholders from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a tour of U.S. ethanol facilities to advance biofuel exports to Africa and the Middle East.
“Providing market intelligence and a consistent flow of information about the U.S. biofuels industry, supply and demand, transportation, blending and quality issues as well as exposing Middle Eastern and African players to the U.S. ethanol industry will catalyze future demand of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and U.S. bioethanol in the region,” said Ramy H. Taieb, USGC regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The countries on the team represented examples of the different stages of ethanol adoption in the region. For example, Nigeria has consistently been the largest market for U.S. ethanol, mainly for industrial use. The Council’s efforts there and in Ghana are directed at increasing interest among fuel policy authorities about developing 10 percent blending (E10) mandates.
In Egypt, local authorities are working on an ethanol mandate that may facilitate the participation of the U.S. ethanol industry for the country to capture the economic, environmental and human health benefits that ethanol has to offer.
In the UAE, stakeholders are considering investments in the ethanol industry, particularly in SAF, and the Council is developing programs to demonstrate the viability and benefits of alcohol-to-jet (ATJ)-sourced U.S. ethanol among airlines in the Middle East.
Taieb, USGC Ethanol Program Coordinator Sam Redfern and participants arrived in Fargo, ND for a tour of the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) and an informational presentation on the foundations of ethanol production and applications.
The next day, attendees learned about the economics of sustainable agriculture and the practices of U.S. producers along the ethanol supply chain and visited a local farm to see how U.S. growers employ climate-friendly techniques in the field.
The group ended its time in North Dakota with a tour of Council member Tharaldson Ethanol’s plant, its on-site quality control lab and took a meeting with a major fuel retailer to better understand how biofuels become integrated into consumer products.
The agenda concluded as participants traveled to Minneapolis, MN to examine a biofuel export terminal and for a meeting with CHS, a Council member focused on strengthening supply chains between U.S. producers and international customers.
“I am very excited about the potential for ethanol market expansion in the EMEA region and this program certainly helped us move toward that goal with its great diversity of meetings and tours,” Taieb said. “The NCI’s educational capacity and proximity to ethanol plants, farms and export facilities makes it perfectly suited for building business relationships and industry knowledge with important international buyers and policymakers.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in ethanol 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.