Indonesia to expand sugarcane plantations for E20 program

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government plans to expand sugarcane plantation areas to support Indonesia's E20 program, which requires gasoline to contain at least 20 percent plant-based bioethanol, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said.

"Yes, the required plantations will be expanded," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said the government is also open to utilizing other crops, including cassava, as feedstock for bioethanol production.

He said the current sugarcane supplies are insufficient if the government relied solely on the commodity as feedstock for E20.

"E20 can be derived from sugarcane and cassava, among others. Should we aim for sugarcane, it is necessary to open new plantations because we are still lacking feedstock," the minister said.

During a limited meeting on Sept. 16, President Prabowo Subianto instructed Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman to prepare two million hectares of sugarcane plantations within two years to support the implementation of the E20 policy.

He also tasked sovereign wealth fund Danantara with taking the necessary steps to prepare the industry for the biofuel initiative.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said on September 21 that Indonesia aims to advance toward E50 and must do so without relying on imported feedstock, as the program is intended to strengthen national energy self-sufficiency.

"We cannot afford to roll out E10, E20, or E50 while procuring ethanol from abroad," he said, stressing that importing feedstock would run counter to the self-sufficiency agenda.

In this regard, Bahlil said the government intends to maximize the use of domestically sourced feedstock to support the initiative.

"If we can achieve the E50 standard, we will meet our target of no longer importing finished gasoline products," the minister said.

Related news: Govt to prepare 2 million hectares of sugarcane land for E20 program

Translator: Putu Indah, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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