Brazil's Ethanol Shield: Stable Fuel Prices Amidst Global Chaos

Brazil's got a smart shield against the oil chaos from the war in Iran.

While global markets freak out, tens of millions of drivers here run flex-fuel cars on pure

sugarcane ethanol or a 30% bio-fuel gas mix.

This setup, kicked off back in 1975, keeps the country from sweating foreign oil spikes

too hard.

Gas prices here only jump 5% in March, way less than the 30% hit in the United States.

Now as I say, it's thanks to a rock solid homegrown biofuels game that dodges shortages

and big hikes.

Brazil still imports some refined fuels from places like the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia,

and Guyana, but ethanol covers the daily grind.

Experts like the head of the sugarcane industry group are calling it a game-changer.

With the next harvest starting mid-April, they're eyeing a record 30 billion liters of ethanol,

4 billion more than last year.

That's equal to.

All of Brazil's gas imports from 2024.

Folks feel secure knowing every pump has that green option.

Diesel's the source bot though, up over 20% last month, since his mostly imported crude,

with just 14% biodiesel from soy.

President Lula's pushing subsidies through May to cool things off and avoid trucker strikes

that could jack up food prices.

He needs stability ahead of reelection in October.

Some of the leaders, like Mexico's president, are hitting up Brazil for tips on copying

this model, even eyeing agave for their own ethanol push.

It's proof that smart homegrown energy plays can steady the ship when the world's oil

storms rage.

That's the story for today.

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