Filipina Soul

The Philippine Biofuels Act of 2006 is expected to give a big boost to the agriculture industry. In order to comply with the requirements of the Act, the country needs at least 70 million liters of coconut-based additives. To meet the demand, crops that can be used to produce biofuels need to be planted in huge amounts. Among these crops are sugarcane, cassava, sweet sorghum and coconut.

The biofuel industry can generate countless jobs, make use of idle land and bring more investments into the country. However there are real concerns that a shift in focus towards these biofuel crops will have a negative impact on food production. Instead of these crops going toward food, they will be used to manufacture higher paying biofuels.

Whether the country’s food security will be compromised or not by the large-scale production of biofuels, one thing is sure: raising biofuel crops can be a gold mine for the country.

In his book Coconut, The Philippines’ Money Tree, Dr. Renato Labadan, one of the most prominent scientific minds in the country, writes that “the era of ‘green gold’ is now at hand.”

Not only will these biofuel crops be used inside the country, they also have the potential for export to countries seeking to use alternative fuels.

Is this the next “green revolution” in the Philippines?

via Manila Times; image by abenjumeda on stock.xchng

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