‘Smart Crops’ Can Provide Fuel, Ensure Food and Environment Security

“The time has come to ensure that only ‘smart biofuel crops’ are developed and utilized so that they can link the poor farmers of the dry lands to the biofuel market, without compromising on their food security or causing environmental damage,” said International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Director General William Dar. The statement was made amidst debates on whether the biofuel revolution is causing imbalances in food security systems and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

ICRISAT, through its BioPower strategy, is promoting sweet sorghum as a major bioethanol feedstock. As a smart crop, sweet sorghum is carbon dioxide neutral. It also has a triple product potential, with its grain available for farmers, stalk juice for ethanol, and bagasse (by-product during juice extraction) for feed and power generation. One kiloliter of ethanol will only cost US$ 81.6 if sweet sorghum is used as the feedstock, unlike US$ 111.5 and US$ 89.2 for sugarcane and maize processing.

The Institute has developed sweet sorghum varieties with increased sugar contents in their stalk. Some varieties give 42 percent higher sugar yield. Aside from sweet sorghum, ICRISAT is also promoting the cultivation of Pongamia and Jatropha in marginal lands as a source of biodiesel.

The press release is available at http://www.icrisat.org/Media/2008/media3.htm