Moratorium on rice land conversion hinders biofuels

The two-year ban on the conversion of rice fields to other uses could cause a setback in the implementation of the Philippines Biofuels Act, said Senator Miguel Zubiri. He said several investors want to build biofuel plants, but their plans are hindered by the ban on land conversion. “Right now, we are hitting a certain snag because of a moratorium on conversion of lands in all agricultural areas. The president ordered the moratorium to increase the country’s rice production. E85 is an alternative transportation fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline that are used in flexible fuel vehicles. Zubiri said the 2.2 million metric tons of sugar being produced now could be processed to provide 3 billion liters of ethanol, or 85% of the country’s fuel needs. (June 10, 2008)