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A few days ago, the Department of Agriculture (DA) signed a biofuels agreement with Praj Industries ‘to help
develop the country’s biofuels industry’ during the state visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PNA,
tradingmarkets.com). On behalf of the DA, Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat signed for the Philippines;
Shashank Inamdar, Managing Director and CEO of Praj, signed for the company. Praj will ‘provide the design,
engineering and supply the biofuel production plants to potential investors.’ The DA will in turn identify the land for
growing the crop and encourage the farmers to grow sweet sorghum, sugarcane, cassava, jatropha, wheat,
tapioca, sugar beet, among others. Praj already has a plant that will be producing ethanol in Ormoc, Leyte by
March 2008.
The DA is now identifying more than 400,000 hectares of land for private sector investments, of which about
90,000 ha are in North Luzon, 10,000 ha in Central Philippines, and 300,000 ha in Mindanao. Investors can
choose from these arrangements: straight purchase, lease, contract growing, joint venture. Agriculture Secretary
Arthur Yap expects that the growing of biofuel crops for clean fuels will not only energize vehicles but, first of all,
Philippine farms – the small farmers will benefit immensely from their harvests and the country will enjoy more
and more independence from imported fossil fuels. If everything goes as expected, incomes of farmers will be
guaranteed, more jobs will be created, and the local as well as national economy will perk up, animated, multiplying
the effects on everyone. How is that possible? Agriculture is crucial in
the country’s economy because it accounts for 25% of the gross
In the Philippines, Mariano
Marcos State University (MMSU)
is the ICRISAT pilot site for
sweet sorghum. In the village
of Bungon in Batac, Ilocos
Norte, there is a sweet
sorghum cane mill and they
are producing ethanol,
vinegar, jaggery, syrup,
cookies, popgrain.
domestic product (GNP) and 35% of the labor force, according to Yap
(Amy Remo, newsinfo.inquirer.net).
Now, which crop for biofuel?
Senator Migz Zubiri is for bioethanol from sugarcane. Earlier, he
said: ‘The Philippines would need at least 10 bioethanol plants by
2009’ (Carla Gomez, newsinfo.inquirer.net). That would be to meet
the E-5 (5% ethanol-90% gasoline blend) requirement following the
Biofuels Act. Zubiri is the Father of Biofuels in the Philippines. Signed
by President Arroyo early January (Maricel Cruz, manilatimes.net),
the Act took effect May 7 (planetark.org). Zubiri is one of the top
sugar producers in the country (alternat1ve.com). So, sugarcane is
the sugarcane farmer’s choice. To each his own.
The DA’s choice is appropriate: the investor’s choice considering the
farmer’s choice. They have to have the same crop choice if they are to work together. Not to each his own as has
been the case for centuries.
But if I were the farmer, sweet sorghum is the fuel of the future for me. Based on information from the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), sweet sorghum can grow with too much or too little
moisture in the soil. Sounds too good to be true. I must see this with my own eyes.
Biofuel Islands