Corn won't be used for bio-fuel in 5 years
Updated: 2007-07-17 08:44
China will shift its dependence from corn to sorghum, cassava and sweet potato plants to make bio-fuel in the next five years.
Part of the government's efforts to develop bio-fuel without harming general food supply and security, the shift will ensure a healthy supply of corn both as food and fodder.
Cassava and sweet potato both are high-yield plants, and though edible, they are not used as staple food. So their use as raw material, as opposed to that of corn, won't create any artificial shortage of food products.
Xiong Bilin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission's (NDRC) industry department, told China Daily that the conversion of the four major ethanol production centers, which have a combined output of 1 million tons, will neither be too complicated nor costly.
The four plants, along with the newly approved ones, will use the plants of sorghum, cassava and sweet potato that scientists have recommended as corn substitutes.
The country's efforts to fight global warming will soon get another boost with the largest ethanol production facility getting the green light, said the official with the country's top economic planner.
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The authorities are also likely to approve another ethanol-making facility. The unit in Jingmen, Hubei Province, can make 200,000 tons of ethanol from sweet potato plants each year.
China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs (COFCO) will be the major investor in both the projects.
China wants to increase its ethanol production from 1 million tons a year to 2 million tons in 2010, and 10 million tons by 2020. "Meeting the 2010 target should not be a problem," Xiong said.
The existing four corn-based facilities have already been joined by a cassava-based unit in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region that can produce 200,000 tons of ethanol a year.
COFCO owns the Guangxi facility, too, which got the authorities' approval last year before going into operation.
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