The U.S. Grains Council recently announced that it arranged for a group of Mexico-based energy and economy media members to travel to Denver and Chicago in August to learn about U.S. ethanol production, integration in the agricultural economy, and regulations and standards. The team visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver, as well as the University of Illinois, the American Lung Association and the U.S. EPA in Chicago. They also toured an Illinois ethanol plant.

According to the USGC, Mexico imported 1.9 million tons of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) from the U.S. during the last full marketing year. The country now also represents a potential ethanol market of 720 million gallons thanks to a recent regulatory change that has increased the maximum about of ethanol that can be blended in Mexican gas supplies from 5.8 percent to 10 percent, except in the cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City. The USGC estimates the 720 million market is the equivalent to 252.6 million bushels of corn.

In a press release, the USGC said has worked with local partners to promote ethanol as the fuel component of choice for more environmentally friendly Mexican gasoline that helps reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The USGC also said it is working with Mexican leaders as they seek to build their own biofuels industry which would help support the rural Mexican economy and offer cleaner fuels for the Mexican people.

According to the USGC, establishing imports of U.S. ethanol to Mexico starts with offering information to industry partners and government regulators, including through the media. Stories produced by the ethanol media team members that participated in the trip to Denver and Chicago will play a critical role in building and capturing this new demand for ethanol in Mexico.

The USGA also brought similar teams from Mexico to the U.S. focused on barley and cattle feeders. The USGC noted that the U.S. and Mexico share one of the most efficient and integrated supply change in the world, thanks to two decades of economic development facilitated by the North American Free Trade Agreement, common geography and market development work by organizations such as the USGC.