North Gorontalo Reserves 20,000 Hectares for Bioethanol Corn Expansion

North Gorontalo Regency in Indonesia's Gorontalo Province has set aside about 20,000 hectares of dry land for corn expansion as bioethanol feedstock. This decision was made after its regent met with Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman at a national ethanol meeting in Jakarta on September 21, 2026.

According to Asrin U. Menu, head of the regency's food crops, horticulture and plantation office, North Gorontalo holds 55,858 hectares of dry land across 11 districts, with 33,507 hectares already existing corn planting area. This leaves about 20,000 hectares available for development.

The minister gave seed assistance for 1,000 hectares and two tractors to attending regents, including North Gorontalo, as part of the national bioethanol programme. The goal is to maximize planting of three strategic feedstock commodities: cassava, sugarcane, and corn.