27 Mar 2012THE government has not moved an inch on the proposal by the farming community to include maize as an alternative crop for biofuel production since the Department of Energy published the draft Mandatory Blending Regulations in September last year.
Instead, government efforts are under way to encourage farmers to focus on the "main feedstock crops" that it has identified, which include sugar cane and sugar beet, soya beans and grain sorghum.
The government plans to support the initial production of 2% bioethanol amounting to 240-million litres per annum, and 2% bio-diesel amounting to 200-million litres per annum that will be blended with other fuels to reduce the country’s dependence on crude oil imports.
http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=168335
