Bioethanol RI's golden ticket: Panigoro

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung 

Prominent businessman and founder of gas and oil company Medco Group, Arifin Panigoro (photo, right), said biofuel was a future alternative energy that could help Indonesia survive the energy crisis. 

"Indonesia cannot be wasteful anymore in using fuel as currently we only have a limited amount of fuel," Arifin said in a public lecture at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on Friday. 

Arifin said there were 47 million hectares of semi-uncultivated land and 77 million hectares of uncultivated land in Indonesia that could be used for developing bioethanol, an alternative to fossil fuels. The raw materials for bioethanol can also be used for food. 

He said the Medco Foundation had initiated planting sugar cane, corn, soybean and sorghum on 20 hectares of neglected land in Papua during the past two years. 

Arifin called on the government to immediately make a clear regulation on alternative energy, especially bioethanol, in preparation for the boom in land use for this purpose during the next three years. 

"The government has to manage the allocation of food crops that will be converted to energy so it will not disturb food resilience," Arifin said. 

He also called on the government to seriously think about farming zone management, including preparing the infrastructure to support the future business, such as establishing distribution pipes and constructing airports and harbors. 

Arifin, an ITB graduate, said he expected the business would create many jobs.

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