Ethanol exports are rebounding after the slump in 2020 due to the impact of the global pandemic on fuel consumption and a ratcheting up of trade restrictions. 

The United States exported 1.33 billion gallons of ethanol last year, down from 1.46 billion gallons the previous year and off nearly 20% from the record 1.67 billion gallons in the 2018. 

Still, the 1.33 billion gallons – the equivalent of about 482 million bushels of corn -- represents the fourth-largest export volume on record for U.S. ethanol. Nearly one out of every 10 gallons of U.S. ethanol produced last year was exported.

“It was uneven by any measure but it was not a bad year, and considering everything that went on there were some bright spots,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Chief...