Indonesia Pins Hopes on Sugarcane for E20 Ethanol

The Indonesian government has narrowed down sugarcane as the main raw material for E20 ethanol production, after considering corn and cassava. The choice was made in a meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto.

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan explained that not all commodities suitable for ethanol production were considered due to various obstacles. He noted that corn and cassava cannot be mechanized, making them difficult to harvest on the scale needed.

The government then turned to sugarcane, but this choice brings its own set of problems. Zulhas said sugar cane is not suitable for all areas and land availability is a major issue. The potential land in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua was mapped, with an estimated 2 million hectares needed for the first phase.

The Minister of Agriculture has been asked to prepare a plan related to land and production of raw materials, while Danantara will handle the development of the ethanol processing industry. The government targets that in two years it will be able to produce E20 with ethanol entirely sourced from within the country.