STA. MARIA, Ilocos Sur – Four towns and two government schools in the Ilocos Region have been chosen as pilot areas for the planting of sweet sorghum which is needed for extraction of ethanol for bio-fuel.
This developed after sweet sorghum was found to be a crop adoptable in the region with its soil and climate suited for sorghum.
Researchers said that sweet sorghum was found suitable for ethanol production. Ethanol, which is benzene and sulfur-free substance, is an environment-friendly fuel.
Presidential Assistant for Northern Luzon Enrie Mendoza identified the towns as Batac, Ilocos Norte; Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur; Rosales, Pangasinan; and Sto. Tomas, La Union.
The two schools are the Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (MMMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte, and the Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC) here.
It was learned that MMMSU in Batac, Ilocos Norte was the site for seed production of sweet sorghum as well as the processing site of the extracted ethanol. The MMMSU is accredited by the International Crop Research Institute for SemiArid Tropics (ICRISAT) as seed producer for sweet sorghum for distribution to the farmers.
ICRISAT is a United Nations program based in India and is headed by a Filipino, former Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The production of ethanol, a source of alternative energy, was initiated by the national government in line with the Biofuel Act signed into law by President Arroyo.
Mendoza said some 300 hectares of salty and idle lands would be tapped as pilot areas in Ilocos Region for sorghum growing and would be expanded with 1,500 hectares more if it is grown nationwide.
“There are other crops suitable for biofuel but sweet sorghum is the most convenient and beneficial crop for the farmers to produce,” Mendoza said.
Other crops identified as potential source of biofuel were soya beans, ground nut, pigeon pea and jathropa.
Dr. Rick Raguindin, Research Coordinator on Sorghum Production in ISPSC, said that the maximum ethanol substance will be extracted from the stalks of the 50- to 60-day old sweet sorghum plants.
Raguindin said the farmers can raise sweet sorghum continuously all year round and harvest the crops three times in a year during a single planting season through ratooning.
He said that ratooning is the process of cutting the stalks of the plants to allow its new shoots to grow for the next harvest season.
He also said that sweet sorghum plant is easy to grow because it is a droughttolerant and can thrive in dry weather until the rainy season resume.
With ratooning, Mendoza said, a farmer could earn a net income of R90,000 a year per hectare from sweet sorghum production