Venezuela and Cuba-Making Biofuels Without Wasting Food

[BayCityProgressive]

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1976
HAVANA, Mar 6 (IPS) - The governments of Cuba and Venezuela are planning to move forward together on biofuels production, but they will rely on producing alcohol from sugarcane, in order to spare food crops.

Official Cuban sources described the cooperative alcohol programme between the two countries as part of their "joint efforts" to protect the environment, reduce consumption of fossil fuels and promote alternative energy sources, while holding fast to the principle of not using edible crops to make fuels.

At present Venezuela imports Brazilian ethanol to mix with gasoline distributed in the eastern part of the country, in preference to methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenate additive which is a pollutant.

[robinlynne]

1. Thank-you. I have been saying this for months! (that corn is NOT necessary to

make biofuels, sugar is cheaper, easier, better and has been used for YEARS.)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Don't American corn farmers want to make ethanol...

because they've got nothing else to do with their surplus cow corn?

[Solon]

5. I think the problem with ethanol from corn is that its fertilizer intense...

and that fertilizer is derived from petrochemicals, so the savings in fossil fuels is minimal. Sugarcane, I think, doesn't rely so heavily on these types of chemicals, though I could be wrong.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. So it's really not an issue of "wasting food."

Right?

[BayCityProgressive]

7. I have always wondered

why we don't pay farmer sto grow the corn and give it to famine stricken regions..rather than pay them not to grow it.

[Solon]

8. Depends on the crop used and the amount of acres used...

and how the crop itself is used for either fuel or food. For example, in the United States, we have plenty of spare land to use for ethanol or other biofuel production, but that is assuming we would have an unlimited supply of petro-based fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. If we were to be "cut off" suddenly, from most oil producing countries, our food production would plummet, basically, all those big farms would have to go "organic" which produces lower yields of crops per acre, which means that ethanol production would have to drop so that we could maintain the same level of food production as before.

I think, what they mean by "not wasting food" is that sugar cane, unlike corn, which serves as a staple of diet for millions of food animals and humans, is an "extra" as a sweetener, or used to make rum.

This isn't to say that biofuels aren't sustainable, they are, if you choose the right plants and algae to extract the biofuels from. An example would be hemp, hempseed oil is an excellent energy source, and hemp as the advantage of being a nitrogen fixer, and it requires less acreage than corn to produce the same joules in fuel. Not to mention that hemp is a "low maintenance" that can grow WITHIN, let's say, corn fields, or any other crop, like cotton, without adversely affecting the yield of the plants surrounding it.

Not saying its perfect, but its better than corn, that is all, plus, other parts of the plants can be used to make paper, rope, clothing, etc. I think the key is that we should DIVERSIFY our energy sources, almost all fuel is derived from Oil, maybe we should diversify for different localities and conditions, taking into account EVERYTHING that is affected by these choices.

[LittleClarkie]

3. Switch grass also works I'm told

and is also not a food source.

[soothsayer]

4. wha? gonna' put the hurt on rum production??

[David__77]

9. God I hope Cuba can diversify.

Its reliance on sugar exports during the pre-1990 period was simply devastating and was an indication of "socialist" economic colonialism. The difference is the Soviet and allied "socialist countries" called it "socialist mutual assistance" and a rational "international division of labor." Same meaning as Western-style dependency and underdevelopment.

Cuba has not repudiated its past wrong policies in the economic sphere. It would be helpful were it to do so, and pursue a higher degree of national self-reliance through innovation and diversification.

[BayCityProgressive]

10. well in all fairness

you are completely correct on Cuba during the Soviet period, but they have diversified. Sugarcane is a MUCH smaller part of the economy now. Tourism and medical are the too big industries now. Tons of Europeans go to Cuba for medical attention and that helps to fund the program for Cubans..

[BayCityProgressive]

11. Also

Cuba doesn't have many resources and no big business is going to invest there or they will lose US dollars for it. I had heard they recently discovered huge sources of oil on their cost and their state owned firm is going into a joint venture with Venezuela to drill for it.

[David__77]

12. That is good news indeed.

Oil will certainly provide economic benefits and help ensure political stability over the next several years if they can quickly exploit this resource. So much for the dreams of the gusano.