by Donavan Lim (S&P Global Platts) Philippines’ local buying requirements seen falling in Q1; China’s imports from US could resume if tensions ease; Higher Grade B prices likely for Ulsan buyers in 2021 A rise in fuel ethanol imports could be on the cards for the Philippines in 2021 if the country’s domestic consumption quotas are lowered, while the impact of the Biden presidency on China’s willingness to resume large-scale fuel ethanol imports from the US is proving harder to discern.
Import prices fell further below domestic prices in the Philippines in 2020, but lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Manila and other major cities considerably reduced demand for fuel ethanol over the same period.