U.S. ethanol exports moderated in April, slipping 12% to 172.3 million gallons (mg) amid varied shifts across key global markets and settling 8% below year-ago levels. Canada remained the top destination despite a 15% drop to 54.9 mg, representing nearly three-quarters of April’s denatured ethanol sales. Exports to the European Union surged 62% to 34.3 mg, driven almost entirely by the Netherlands. India imported 20.1 mg, a 7% increase, while exports to South Korea rose 8% to an 11-month high of 12.7 mg. Ten additional markets accounted for the remainder of April’s exports, with notable shipments to the United Kingdom (10.6 mg, down 65%), Brazil (7.9 mg, up 13%), Colombia (7.7 mg, down 28%), Mexico (6.3 mg, up 8%), and Peru (5.2 mg, down 6%). The Philippines, which imported 10.8 mg in March, was notably absent in April. Year-to-date U.S. ethanol exports reached 704.9 mg, marking a 10% increase over the same period last year.

The U.S. imported a modest 42,417 gallons of undenatured fuel ethanol from Canada in April. Cumulative imports for the first four months of 2025 totaled just 3.4 mg—2.0 mg ahead of last year’s pace.

U.S. exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS), the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants, also pulled back in April, declining 13% to 894,197 metric tons (mt). Shipments to top customer Mexico fell 19% to 184,210 mt after a strong March showing. South Korea, by contrast, boosted purchases 12% to a 7-month high of 128,911 mt. Exports to Vietnam declined 6% to 78,543 mt, while Indonesia and Colombia each posted 16% declines, importing 78,282 mt and 77,623 mt, respectively. These five countries collectively absorbed nearly two-thirds of total April DDGS exports. Other key markets included the European Union (50,391 mt, up 31%), Canada (40,998 mt, down 18%), Japan (28,680 mt, down 29%), and New Zealand (28,000 mt, up from zero). Through April, total U.S. DDGS exports reached 3.58 million mt, down 7% from the same period in 2024.

Source: Renewable Fuels Association, June 5, 2025, https://ethanolrfa.org/media-a...