Philippines: No Need to Suspend Bio-Fuels Program to Solve Rice Crisis

The government is also promoting jatropha as a
bio-fuel source and has ordered the use of huge tracts
of idle public and private lands for jatropha
plantations. Pimentel said these lands are mostly
located in upland and hilly areas and unsuitable for
rice planting.

Pimentel cited a report from the Department of
Agriculture that 15 foreign and local companies have
embarked on bio-fuel ventures with P34 billion worth
of proposed investments covering 725.300 hectares of
land to be planted to sugarcane, jatropha or tuba
tuba, palm oil and coconut.

The Alternative Fuels Corp. of the Philippine National
Oil Company and the Philippine Forest Corp. under the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources are
overseeing the government’s massive jatropha
plantation program.

A total of 137,537 hectares of what used to be idle
lands spread in various military reservations have
been devoted for jatropha nurseries and plantations.
Another 50,000 hectares of lands in government penal
colonies including Iwahig, Palawan will be converted
into jatropha plantations.

Pimentel said that bio-fuels will provide not only
alternative energy sources but will also lessen air
pollution. Ethanol, for instance is considered a clean
fuel because it is unlike gasoline or diesel which
emits a lot of carbon dioxide.
-o0o-

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