May ethanol exports reach monthly record by 28% down on April

In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association reports U.S. ethanol exports reached the highest level ever for the month of May at 154.4 million gallons (mg), though this represented a 28% decline from a near-record in April. In a shift from recent trends, shippers targeted just twelve markets. Canada was the largest importer for the 38th consecutive month, despite a 4% decrease to 59.7 mg. The Philippines imported the largest monthly volume since October 2018 with an 82% jump to 16.0 mg. Exports also expanded to the European Union (14.2 mg, +3%), South Korea (13.0 mg, +8% to a 15-month high) and Singapore (9.1 mg, +452%). The remaining fifth of U.S. ethanol exports landed in the United Kingdom, Colombia, Brazil (for the second consecutive month), Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, and Jamaica. Year-to-date U.S. ethanol exports totaled 816.9 mg, up 43% from the same period last year.

The U.S. did not log any meaningful imports of foreign ethanol in May (141,806 gallons of undenatured fuel ethanol shipped from Brazil and Canada). Year-to-date imports stand at 1.4 mg.