Biofuel Consultation for the Asia Pacific Region

An expert consultation on biofuels was organized by the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) together with the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India (ICRISAT), the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico (CIMMYT). The consultative meeting held at IRRI’s headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines, focused on important biofuel issues such as (i) how bioenergy production may have an impact on global and regional food security; (ii) understanding bioenergy options for key crops and cropping systems in Asia; (iii) identifying research priorities for designing and evaluating integrated food-bioenergy production systems; and (iv) developing a framework for research on biofuels in key agricultural systems of Asia.

“There’s no doubt biofuels will have an impact on agriculture in Asia and the Pacific and present some very interesting new opportunities,” APAARI’s executive secretary, R.S. Paroda, said. “But we need to be absolutely sure this will not affect the region’s food security and its continuing efforts to alleviate poverty.”

Some Asian countries have already started their own biofuel industries and are currently hoping for the promise of the biofuel industry in their respective countries; renewable source of energy that is cheap, clean, flexible, and can provide additional income to the poor people.

The article can be viewed at :http://www.irri.org/media/press/press.asp?id=158 and the proceedings at: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:-sI-YtHC5_YJ:www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/232867/2007%2520Expert%2520Consultation%2520on%2520Biofuels%2520Proceedings.pdf+Asian+consultation+on+biofuels+by+APAARI&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6