Reduction of Maize Caused By Drought-Food or Fuel

Developing the bio-energy may lead to some problems, oil crops be used as food or fuel is one of them, this problem has attracted more attention than before in this year. The US has suffered drought this year, perhaps it is the most severe one in the last 50 years, the harvest of many crops including maize is heavily reduced, some voice from the America government argues that it is time to stop using maize to make ethanol as the liquid fuel.

In order to successfully carry out the bio-fuel energy program and develop bio-energy industry like biodiesel plant, the US governments write into the law and the renewable fuel standards that 40% of the harvested maize should be used to make ethanol and the ethanol should be blended in the oil in the ratio of 9%. At the same time, inclement weather caused by El Nino phenomenon in Australia and India influences the grain amount, drought in south Africa also has a significant impact on the grain’s growing and harvest. Some analysts predict that even Obama has begun to negotiate with the related departments, he would not make it happen with the election coming.

A food crisis authority believes that the global food system has not reached the crisis point and states that export restrictions and panic buying is prohibited in the UN policy, yet still many countries have taken some measures to ensure the food supply. This message implies that with the situations of fossil fuel price rising, world population grows and the more frequent inclement weather, the non-food biomass fuel is more likely to be the future of the renewable bio-fuel resource, like wood pellets, briquettes and biodiesel based on waste oil.