NCGA CEO Rick Tolman, center, shows a flexible fuel vehicle engine to members of Japan’s Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society last week.

NCGA Discusses Value-Added Ag Opportunities with Japanese Visitors (03-14-05)

A delegation from Japan’s Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX) met with National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) staff members last week in St. Louis to discuss how agriculture can help create sustainable societies in the future.

Funded by the Japanese government, the group was particularly interested in learning about value-added agriculture and how the U.S. ethanol industry has affected rural economies and the environment.

“The group has many of the same goals we have,” NCGA CEO Rick Tolman said. “They’re interested in economic development and making their rural areas more sustainable. They were quite intrigued by some of the things we’re doing in the United States, especially with ethanol.”

RISTEX is investigating the feasibility of using excess rice stocks to produce ethanol, Tolman said. The group is also interested in the integration of livestock facilities and energy production operations.

According to RISTEX members, educating the Japanese public about the benefits of value-added agriculture will be a key step in the initiative. Most Japanese consumers are unfamiliar with ethanol and some have voiced skepticism about the benefits of renewable fuels, the group said.

“This group is facing some of the same challenges the U.S. ethanol industry had early on,” Tolman said. “There are myths circulating in Japan about ethanol causing engine performance problems. Among other things, consumers are being told that an ethanol blend of more than 3 percent will cause problems in their vehicles, and that simply isn’t true.”

Many major manufacturers in the Japanese auto industry have not embraced ethanol, RISTEX members said. Only Isuzu and Mazda have produced flexible fuel vehicles, which are capable of running on an 85 percent ethanol blend (E-85).

“The group wants to get more Japanese automakers engaged in the ethanol dialogue, and we certainly share that goal,” Tolman said.

He added that meeting with groups like RISTEX will help raise international awareness of ethanol and other value-added agricultural concepts. “We can strengthen our efforts on a global scale by working with groups like this,” he said. “Together, we can promote the benefits of renewable fuels and other agricultural solutions worldwide.”