Indonesia to develop coco diesel

Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry will develop coconut-based biodiesel (cocodiesel) in a number of coconut production centers to meet the need for fuels, mainly in remote areas. “The price of diesel oil in isolated areas is very high, so that coconut-based biodiesel needs to be developed and produced,” said Rifana Erni, head of the Industrial Research and Development Center of the Ministry of Industry. She said that diesel oil price in Jakarta was about Rp4,300 (US$0.46) per liter, but in isolated areas the price could be double, so that the development and production of biodiesel in those regions was needed. (August 14, 2007)