Exports of U.S. ethanol account for 60% of the global marketplace, which has seen sharp declines in demand throughout this calendar year as nations put into place measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, namely mandates and recommendations to cut down on long-distance travel. While ethanol fuel saw demand gutted, a few new markets like high-demand alcohol-based sanitizing products helped make up for some of the decline. That meant industrial ethanol use, which normally accounts for one quarter of total consumption, occupied as much as half of total market demand, at home and abroad. Industry leaders are now looking ahead to large export markets like China, South Korea and Mexico for signs that export demand could pick up through the end of the year and beyond. Though COVID-19 will remain a major market variable into 2021 and 2022, restoring global trade relationships will contribute to increased sales activity in the coming months. See more on the ethanol market.