WASHINGTON, DC, US — Exports of US grains in all forms increased by 26% to 109.4 million tonnes in the 2023-24 marketing year, according to data released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The exports, valued at $48 billion, were bolstered by a record 1.75 billion gallons of ethanol sold internationally and a single-market record 23.4 million tonnes shipped to Mexico, said the US Grains Council (USGC).

The new ethanol record does not include an estimated 140.5 million gallons of ethanol exported to Japan in the form of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE).

“We applaud US farmers and producers for their outstanding efforts in increasing exports this marketing year, and especially to ethanol producers who continue their trajectory of outstanding growth to meet global market demands,” said Ryan LeGrand, USGC president and chief executive officer.

Mexico was US agriculture’s top trading partner, purchasing 35,016,923 tonnes of grain in all forms equivalent. Japan moved into second place with 14.1 million tonnes of purchases, over China, which purchased 12 million tonnes.

Colombia skyrocketed into becoming the fourth largest trading partner for US agriculture thanks to a 129.9% with total purchases of 7.9 million tonnes. Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, the European Union, Guatemala and Vietnam rounded out the top 10 markets in 2023-24.