Last week, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Deputy Regional Director for Latin America (LTA) Juan Diaz traveled to the Dominican Republic to join a U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Trade Mission (USDA ATM) with a focus on U.S. ethanol exports to the country.
“The Dominican Republic is a stable, growing economy with strong consumer demand for high octane fuel its government currently subsidizes,” Diaz said. “By blending gasoline with 10 percent ethanol (E10), the country can enjoy a lower financial burden while creating 55-million-gallon export market that U.S. producers are ready to meet.”
The ATM included presentations between USDA and attending cooperators like the Council and a series of meetings with public and private sector stakeholders in the Dominican energy sector.
The first segment of the ATM provided an overview of the Dominican Republic’s political, economic and agricultural landscape, including specific details on how to conduct business in the country and the status of agricultural trade from USDA representatives and other specialists.
Later in the day, the group toured a major oil refinery to examine its production capacity and potential for blending ethanol and met with the Ministry of the Environment to discuss the carbon reduction benefits of ethanol.
Lastly, meetings with the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Trade updated the delegation on the status of gasoline consumption, anticipated trends and growth and pathways to facilitate further U.S. exports to the Dominican Republic.
“The Council successfully engaged with both the government and the domestic refining industry to highlight the economic value of blending ethanol with gasoline,” Diaz said.
“The meetings held during the mission were instrumental in laying the groundwork with the new administration to explore the potential for ethanol use nationwide.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in the Dominican Republic 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.