Byline: MELODY M. AGUIBA

Koreans and Australians are tying up with local businesses to put up a sweet sorghum ethanol plant in Northern Luzon worth $ 20 million to $ 40 million even as this feedstock is stirring up interest in the US, Africa, and Latin America.

Dr. William D.

"These companies are engaged in other businesses, but they're wanting to go into biofuel. The prospects are really bright. I'll be happy if there will be one or two distilleries that will be completed within the year," he said.

The plant capacity may range from 100,000 to 200,000 liters per day, way bigger than the existing 40,000-liter per day capacity of the world's first sweet sorghum plant in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Since Rusni Distilleries Ltd. (RDL) of India sapped the first sweet sorghum to produce ethanol in October 2006, the viability of this nature-friendly, cost-effective, and numerous multiplier-effect-bearing biofuel, has enthralled countries like the US, Colombia, and Uganda.

"The US has always been ahead in conducting research. But they want to test our varieties. If it's the US (that will go into sweet sorghum ethanol), that will be big," Dar said.

The investors are meeting with RDL to negotiate for a possible technology transfer of RDL's patent which is the same technology being adopted by JN Agritech Int'l. Ltd. in Kampala, Uganda in coordination with ICRISAT.

If RDL's plant is giving livelihood to some 6,000 farming families tilling 6,000 hectares, the prospective Northern Luzon plant may give livelihood to about 30,000 families.