BRAZIL
If one had corn stocked in both countries, he could supply his own market in case of harvest losses. But more than that, think of the profit margins with your own share of cane ethanol in the domestic markets!" So, could business in Brazil improve profits in the U.S.? The answer is a clear yes. Could cooperation make those profits even bigger? No doubt. It's remarkable how fast a growing
number of American partners are discovering the lucrative details. Let the music play! Author: Daniel Coelho Barbosa Germany-based Agribusiness Analyst +49 163 81 69 221 dcb@traceconsult.ch
ON THE WEB IAC: http://www.iac.sp.gov.br/ Agroenergy Workshop organizer: Dr. José Roberto Scarpellini, jrscarpellini@apta.sp.gov.br FENASUCRO: http://www.fenasucroagrocana.com.br/
DESTILARIA ETANOL Distillation columns at the Cortesia Sindalcool ethanol plant.
when ethanol imports were at a record high, there wasn't a single protest against the U.S. Françoia, who knows the "cane soul" inside and out, explains "the agreement between the U.S. and Brazil was a big step forward—this way we could guarantee supply. And we have to deal with that, if we want to stay competitive internationally. If we have problems now, it's our fault." Embracing U.S. imports that strongly may sound surprising, but this opinion is widely shared. Françoia closed our conversation with the statement: "There are fantastic knowledge resources about cane in Brazil. Our experience is huge, our researchers have international qualifications. That, allied with U.S. American know-how is a powerful combination. Together, it would be much easier to build stable markets, not only for biofuels, but there are other products to be explored. Take Coca-Cola for instance, its PET bottles use plastic from cane. Actually, the potential for partnerships is much broader. The U.S. uses corn to produce ethanol and Brazil is also a big corn producer.
FEBRUARY 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 63