Industry and government officials representing 17 countries in Asia and Oceania met in Minneapolis last week for the Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific. There, high-level officials from agriculture, environmental and energy ministries representing the region met with members of the United States ethanol industry and U.S. officials to discuss current and future prospects for expanded ethanol use throughout the Asia Pacific.

To begin the event, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association worked with event sponsors U.S. Grains Council, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association to organize a tour of Minnesota’s ethanol industry. The group started on Monday with an up-close look at blender pumps at Minnoco and Coborn’s, as well as a tour of Al-Corn Clean Fuel and refinery Flint Hills Resources. Overall, it was an opportunity to see the full production and value chain of ethanol in the United States.

The agenda for the next two days included a wide variety of educational sessions that highlight the use of ethanol in transportation fuels to help meet a number of challenges, including improving air quality, improving the current fuel supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The goal with the lineup of speakers was to capitalize on the needs of the 17 countries represented—where some of the fastest growing increases in fuel demand, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and air quality issues are occurring due to the countries’ rates of growth.

Topics included tackling the misconception that ethanol is hurting the world’s food supply, the environmental benefits of blending ethanol into gasoline and an update on the current ethanol landscape and ethanol-related policy in Asia-Pacific countries.

This year’s event aimed to build on the momentum of last fall’s Ethanol Summit of the Americas event. The goal of each summit is to affirm the United States as the leader in ethanol industry development and a key partner for countries looking to grow their ethanol program.

Last week’s summit included representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.