Sweet Sorghum

Sorghum to Ethanol Development

While Nasamax has pioneered the development of sweet sorghum as an exceptional ethanol feedstock they are not alone in recognizing its merits. For example:

• In December 2006 China - which increased its ethanol production more than 3,000% between 2002 and 2005 - halted all new projects that processed corn into ethanol because of its drain on the food supply. In July 2007 the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture released the new Agricultural Biofuels Plan, which indicates ethanol production will be scaled up to around four million metric tons by 2010, ³ and that sweet sorghum will be used as feedstock to produce 3.8 million tons (1.15 billion gallons) of ethanol annually. ⁴
  
  Zhou Dadi, former Director of the Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission, had earlier stated, 'The new investment is likely to be in plants that produce ethanol without competing with grain supplies or taking up arable land.' ⁵
  
  Chinese agricultural experts agreed, ' … because of its cost efficient nature and capability to be cultivated on non-arable or wasteland, (we) consider sweet sorghum as the best option … among all non-grain sources of ethanol.' ^{6 (emphasis added)}

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