Photo credit: Renewable Fuels Association.
The Renewable Fuels Association voiced support for the Trump administration's efforts to address trade barriers affecting U.S. ethanol exports during testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission, backing reciprocal tariffs on imports from Brazil while highlighting the decline in bilateral ethanol trade.
The association said ethanol trade between the United States and Brazil had been mutually beneficial before Brazil began imposing tariffs on U.S. ethanol in 2017. According to the RFA, those policies significantly reduced U.S. access to the Brazilian market.
The value of U.S. fuel ethanol exports to Brazil dropped to zero in 2023, followed by $43 million in 2024 and $68 million in 2025. Brazil accounted for about one-third of total U.S. ethanol exports as recently as 2018, but that share fell to 1.3 percent in 2024 and 1.8 percent in 2025.
The RFA said it supports the administration's reciprocal tariff on Brazilian imports as part of broader efforts to remove what it described as unfair barriers to U.S. ethanol exports.
The association also raised concerns about Brazil's RenovaBio national biofuels policy, which aims to reduce the carbon intensity of the country's transportation fuel supply. The program is expected to create demand for 5 billion gallons of additional biofuels by 2030.
According to the RFA, no U.S. ethanol plant has received full certification from the Brazilian government to generate credits under the RenovaBio program after five years of implementation. The organization said the certification issue further limits opportunities for U.S. ethanol producers to participate in Brazil's growing biofuels market.
Source: Renewable Fuels Association, "RFA Supports Trump Administration Response to Brazil’s Unfair Trade Practices"