Argentina produced and consumed record amounts of ethanol in 2015, Platts reported citing data from the Argentinian Association of Biofuels and Hydrogen.
Ethanol production in the country last year rose 23% from 2014 levels to reach 815 million litres. Domestic sales, meanwhile, grew 21% to 804 million litres.
Platts agricultural unit Kingsman forecasts that Argentina’s ethanol production and consumption will hit 1 billion litres in 2016. In January, the country’s government raised the mandatory blend in gasoline to 12%.
In 2015, the production of ethanol from sugarcane increased 12% year-on-year to 336 million litres, while the amount produced from corn jumped 29% to 479 million litres.
Argentina started blending ethanol into gasoline in 2009. Back then it produced ethanol only from sugarcane. After its first corn distillery started operations in 2012, corn became the leading feedstock in 2014. The country now has nine sugarcane mills that make ethanol and five corn distilleries, Platts said.

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