RFA slams Brazil’s punitive ethanol tariff

In Washington, Brazil’s punitive ethanol tariff regime and restrictive regulations demonstrate that the country is clearly not committed to fair and reciprocal trade in ethanol, the Renewable Fuels Association said in comments sent Monday evening to the U.S. Trade Representative, which is investigating Brazil’s trade practices.

As a result of Brazil’s volatile application of tariff rates in recent years, U.S. fuel ethanol exports to Brazil fell to zero in 2023 and just $43 million in 2024. In 2024, exports to Brazil accounted for just 1.3 percent of total U.S. ethanol exports, after accounting for approximately one-third of total U.S. exports as recently as 2018.