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

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has instructed Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman to prepare two million hectares of sugarcane plantations for ethanol production to support the national E20 fuel program within the next two years.

The directive was issued during a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, where Prabowo tasked Amran with securing the land and instructed the Investment Management Agency Danantara to develop the necessary industrial infrastructure.

“Within the next two years, we can produce at least E20 fuel. Therefore, the Agriculture Minister was asked to prepare a plan, including land allocation, while Danantara will handle the industrial side, specifically ethanol conversion,” Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said at a press conference following the meeting on Wednesday (September 16).

Zulkifli explained that sugarcane was chosen over corn and cassava as the primary feedstock because the available sugarcane acreage was considered the most viable option for immediate utilization.

The government plans to use existing plantation land across Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java, and Papua.

"Land availability was indeed the bottleneck. However, after today's discussion - considering areas in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java and Papua - we can secure the 2 million hectares. If we secure that 2 million, God willing, we can meet the E20 requirements within two years," he noted.

Zulkifli confirmed that all sugarcane used for the 20 percent ethanol-blended fuel will be 100 percent domestically sourced.

He added that achieving the E20 target serves as an initial stepping stone toward the government's long-term objective of implementing an E50 fuel blend.

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Translator: Genta Tenri Mawangi, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Primayanti
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