RIO DE JANEIRO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The world's production and consumption of ethanol are expected to at least double in the next five years, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday.

    As the President of the Inter-American Ethanol Commission, which is holding a meeting in Sao Paulo, Bush said the Latin American countries, including Colombia, Peru, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, have great potential for ethanol production growth and Brazil would easily be the leader.

    Bush, brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, said he believes the trade barriers in the international ethanol market would be phased out. He said the U.S. is likely to slash tariff on ethanol from Brazil, the top exporter of the renewable fuel.

    The U.S. government currently charges 0.54 U.S. dollars for each gallon of ethanol imported from Brazil.

    Bush said that the main targets of the Commission, founded in Dec. 2006, is to expand the ethanol market and protect the environment. If the Commission accomplishes its targets, investors will be attracted to ethanol, he added.

    When questioned about the reason for his country's interest in ethanol, Bush said that the United States needs to boost ethanol use because environmental protection could go hand-in-hand with business.

    Jeb Bush began a two-day visit to Brazil on Monday representing the Inter-American Ethanol Commission, to discuss biofuel trade and the increased production of ethanol across Latin America.