ABSTRACT
Sugar in Guatemala has been for many years the main export product, along with coffee, bananas, vegetable oils and cardamom, making this country as the fourth largest sugar exporter in the world and the third in global productivity. This chapter describes sugar industry history, its efficiency, the electricity generation, the production of ethanol and the potential that the country has to make a blend of fuel ethanol in gasoline. Guatemala for many years has had the installed capacity to make an E10 blend, but the lack of public policies and coordination between the public and private sectors has not allowed this country to use the ethanol it produces and exports. Although there are policies, laws, regulations, agreements, strategies and national agendas that promote the blend of ethanol in gasoline, it has not been implemented because a national dialogue between public and private entities is necessary to establish robust and long-term public policies.
