The Philippines may as well also consider sweet sorghum as sustainable source of ethanol, as it can now use the knowledge and science developed in India as a solid basis for full-scale commercialization. Ethanol can be blended with petrol to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and minimize carbon and monoxide emission in motor vehicles.

Ethanol is a “clean burning fuel” with high octane rating. Thus, there are claims that existing automobile engines can be operated with petrol blended with ethanol without any need for engine modification.

At present, the country imports $3.9 billion worth of crude oil and petroleum products a year.

Dr. William D. Dar, the Filipino director general of the International Center for Research in the Semi-Arid Tropics [ICRISAT] in India, said that since the biofuels initiative in the country today is very important for our survival, “we should be looking for the variety of major sources of bio-fuels that we can develop and sustain,” Dar said in an email to this writer.

“We need to promote commercialize sweet sorghum for ethanol production,” he said, as sweet sorghum offers the best alternative source of raw material.

The production of ethanol from sweet sorghum will not only save enormous amount of foreign exchange but also reduce pollution and provide cleaner air for a constantly growing population.

In a paper sent to this writer, Dar said sweet sorghum is best suited for ethanol production because of its higher sugar content compared to other sources like sugarcane and Jatropha.

In addition, unlike sugarcane, sweet sorghum is propagated through the use of seeds and suitable for mechanized crop production. Likewise, there is practically no wastage in sweet sorghum since every part is used starting from sugar extraction, fuel for boilers and animal feed.

Besides the stalks for ethanol production, sweet sorghum varieties produce grain yields of 2 to 2.5 t/ha, which can be used as food/feed or for potable alcohol preparation. Compared with sugarcane whose sugar content is only 10 to 20 percent, that of sweet sorghum is 15 to 23 percent.

Further, silage from sweet sorghum has higher biological value than bagasse from sugarcane when used as feed for animals, as it is rich in micronutrients and minerals.

Aside from its multiple uses as food, feed, forage and source of ethanol, sorghum seeds can be harvested in 100 days. Moreover, its ratoon also matures in 85 to 95 days after cutting. In contrast, it takes almost a year for a sugarcane crop to mature.

Furthermore, it is cheaper to produce sweet sorghum than sugarcane. In India, for instance, the cost of cultivating sweet sorghum is about one-third that of sugarcane.

At the Mariano Marcos State University, which is headed by Dr. Miriam E. Pascua, five sweet sorghum varieties developed at ICRISAT have been found to mature in 100 days, according to Dr. Heraldo L. Layaoen, MMSU vice president for administration who is also the coordinator of an MMSU-ICRISAT sorghum project.

Seeds of sweet sorghum varieties NTJ 2, SPV 422, ICSV 700, ICSV 93046 and ICSR 93034 are now available at MMSU. Results of the production trials showed that their grain yields in the seed crop ranged from 3.28 to 3.62 t/ha, while that in the first ratoon varied from 3.92 to 4.40 t/ha.

Similarly, the stalk yields of these varieties in the seed crop ranged from 43.48 to 55.60 t/ha, while the first ratoon produced 45.5 to 57.65 t/ha. Although variety SPV 422 consistently produced the lowest grain yield, it also consistently produced the highest stalk yield and the highest sugar content [19 percent]. Please see accompanying table.

Already, the provinces of Isabela, Apayao, Ilocos Sur have already signified their interest in planting sweet sorghum, Layaoen said. In Ilocos Norte, however, only Batac and Banna have shown interest in the new technology.

“Considering the early maturity, higher biomass potential and less photoperiod sensitivity of hybrids compared to varieties, it is desirable to promote the cultivation and use of sweet sorghum hybrids for ethanol production,” Dar said.

According to Dar, a techno-economic feasibility study undertaken by National Research for Council for Sorghum [NCRS] in Hyderabad, India with the collaboration of a private distillery revealed that the cost of producing ethanol per liter from sweet sorghum is slightly lower than that from sugarcane molasses.

For its part, ICRISAT has developed excellent sweet sorghum varieties and hybrids for use in ethanol production by the sugar industries/alcohol distilleries.

With the collaboration of the NCRS and state agricultural universities in India, ICRISAT is engaged in sweet sorghum improvement research for ethanol production along with other types of sorghum to broaden marketing opportunities to improve the livelihoods of poor farmers.

One area in which they are focused is photoperiod sensitivity. “Photoperiod insensitivity (as in hybrids) is useful to facilitate planting at different dates to ensure a regular supply of sweet sorghum stalks in required quantities to distilleries for ethanol production,” Dar said.

He stressed that ethanol production form sweet sorghum is a good business enterprise that must involve the small farmers, which is what they are doing now in India.

“This is the model we are working on at ICRISAT and we have the first distillery in the world on ethanol production using sweet sorghum invested in by the private sector. We have been incubating this idea and this distillery stated its operation this June, “ Dar revealed.

No less than 6,000 hectares planted to sweet sorghum by smallholders supply the raw materials for distillery.

On the other hand, Dar also warned that the knowledge based on Jatropha as ethanol source must be built up first and its science and technology support must be put up prior to its massive commercialization. He said that in India where the use of Jatropha as ethanol source is considered advance, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research has approved only one variety of this crop for release and commercialization.

He said, however, “we should now enhance the approval of the Biofuels Act to consider a variety of sources of biofuel, not only Jatropha.”

At the same time, a blueprint for biofuels development and commercialization must be put with private sector and public institutions working together, Dar stressed. “This roadmap must always include science and technology support, capacity building, infrastructure development, mobilization of investments and other important matters.”

This blueprint must be knowledge-based and equally involve big business and the small farmers.

“Let’s do it well and systematically this time,” he added.