End to ethanol could stave off grain crisis

BEIJING (Reuters) – Halting production of ethanol from grains would help ease global grains shortages in the short-term, the founder of the Earth Policy Institute think tank said on Tuesday.

Ethanol, a fuel made from corn, accounts for a 20 million ton increase in the amount of grains consumed each year, far outpacing growth of about 2 million tonnes a year on average in demand from China, Lester Brown told reporters in Beijing.


Brown also called for higher water prices to encourage efficient water use and stave off a looming shortage caused by retreating glaciers and depleted aquifers.

“Growth in demand for ethanol in the United States exceeds growth for all purposes from the rest of the world,” Brown said.

“One short-term solution is to end ethanol production.”

Reuters