# COVID causes ethanol losses: Sharpest downturn in industry history – AgriNews

> The Renewable Fuels Association estimates the ethanol industry lost $3.8 billion from the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry lost about 2 billion gallons of production from March through November 2020, equal to roughly 700 million bushels of corn. Production and consumption fell nearly 50% in April before partly recovering.

- Date: 2021-01-21 · published 2021-01-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/49267-covid-causes-ethanol-losses-sharpest-downturn-in-industry-history-agrinews
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

The lost ethanol output removed a large block of corn demand in 2020, and the continued losses into late 2020 kept grind and DDGS supplies constrained. The effect on prices is mostly backward-looking, so it is a modest factor for buyers today.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2020-11-04 | [Ethanol industry still recovering from COVID hit - Farm and Dairy](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50138-ethanol-industry-still-recovering-from-covid-hit-farm-and-dairy.md) | +1.8% | +8.9% |
| CORN | 2020-08-08 | [Slowdown in ethanol production affects livestock industry – Wyoming Livestock Roundup](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51711-slowdown-in-ethanol-production-affects-livestock-industry-wyoming-livestock.md) | +4.0% | +9.0% |
| CORN | 2020-03-13 | [U.S. ethanol industry 'bleeding' on oil collapse, coronavirus](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54132-u-s-ethanol-industry-bleeding-on-oil-collapse-coronavirus.md) | -4.2% | -1.9% |
| CORN | 2017-06-19 | [Corn use for ethanol begins to slow down](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70596-corn-use-for-ethanol-begins-to-slow-down.md) | -5.4% | -1.7% |
| CORN | 2020-03-30 | [Ethanol Market Is Disturbing to American Farmers. And Now There's Covid-19.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54231-ethanol-market-is-disturbing-to-american-farmers-and-now-there-s-covid-19.md) | +3.6% | -5.7% |

## Sources

- agrinews-pubs.com: https://www.agrinews-pubs.com/business/2021/01/21/covid-causes-ethanol-losses-sharpest-downturn-in-industry-history/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.