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Recently, an expert team from China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, commissioned by the **National Development and Reform Commission, conducted an evaluation of Jiangxi’s plan to develop fuel ethanol using non-grain raw materials. The experts believe that the basic conditions for carrying out projects to produce fuel ethanol from tuber crops in Jiangxi are favorable, and it is necessary to proceed promptly with the steps required to initiate such projects. Officials from the relevant departments in Jiangxi Province said that this is a precursor to the official launch of fuel ethanol projects in the region; operations are expected to begin on a full scale in 2009. By then, Jiangxi will create \"green oil fields\" by planting crops on barren mountains and slopes, thereby producing \"cassava gasoline\" to alleviate energy shortages. Current situation: Energy shortages make ethanol-blended gasoline urgently needed. Recently, a reporter saw on the Changjiu section of the Fuyin Expressway long queues of trucks waiting to refuel, stretching for several kilometers in front of the gas stations. Energy shortages are becoming increasingly close to our lives. “We thought such a problem would arise a few years ago; we just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. ”Huang Zhongyang, the head of Yufan Alcohol Co., Ltd., said that energy shortages are an emerging trend, and this was what motivated the company to plan a fuel ethanol project 3 years ago. Officials in Jiangxi Province said that the province’s gasoline consumption last year was around 1.1 million tons; by mixing in fuel ethanol at a rate of 10%, it is possible to reduce the supply of pure gasoline by 110,000 tons. Guo Yang from the Industrial Department of Hubei Province’s Development and Reform Commission said that currently, the consumption of ethanol gasoline in the 9 pilot cities in Hubei Province is 1.2 million tons; by mixing in fuel ethanol at a rate of 10%, 120,000 tons less of pure gasoline are needed. Solution: Growing cassava to address the fuel crisis. Jiangxi will turn wasteland into “oil fields”. Over the past few days, delivery trucks have been bringing cassava to the premises of YuFan Company in the Dongxiang County Industrial Park from time to time. Local farmer Hu Fangrong was overjoyed; this year, 5 mu of his unused land was cultivated to grow cassava. The nearly 10 tons of cassava harvested will generate a revenue of over 4,000 yuan for him. Next year, Hu Fangrong plans to plant cassava on several more acres of his unused land, as “this crop can be turned into gasoline for use in cars.” Huang Zhongyang told reporters that using cassava as a raw material for ethanol produced as a non-grain fuel is actually already being done in many countries such as Brazil and Vietnam. The principle involves crushing cassava, and through processes such as saccharification, distillation, dehydration, and denaturation (by adding a small amount of gasoline), ethanol is produced. This ethanol is then sent to a blending facility owned by a petrochemical company, where it is mixed with pure gasoline in a ratio of 10%, before being added to vehicles at gas stations. To produce 1 ton of fuel ethanol, seven to eight tons of fresh cassava are required, so the demand for cassava is very high. The main concern of the expert team from China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, which came to Jiangxi last month for an assessment, was the cassava cultivation situation. After the on-site inspection, they were relieved. Dongxiang County began promoting cassava cultivation in 2002; today, the area under cultivation has reached 56,000 mu, and the cultivation scope has expanded to more than 10 counties in four cities surrounding Dongxiang, including Yingtan, Nanchang, Shangrao, and Fuzhou. Officials from the relevant departments in Jiangxi told reporters that, according to investigations, there are over 2 million mu of barren mountains and slopes across the province that are suitable for growing cassava. Implementing fuel ethanol projects can not only help alleviate energy shortages but also serve as an important means for farmers to increase their incomes. Expected: Ethanol-blended gasoline to be introduced in 2009. “We have been in discussions with the relevant ministries, and formal approval for the project is expected by early next year.” ”Relevant officials in Jiangxi Province said that the province is expected to start operating ethanol-blended gasoline on a closed system the year after next. Currently, the preliminary work for promoting ethanol gasoline has already begun. “We are now all set, awaiting only **approval**. ”Huang Zhongyang said that the preliminary work is currently in progress; 28 million yuan has been invested in tasks such as project design, land acquisition, and the establishment of cassava plantations. A cooperation agreement has been signed with Sinopec’s Jiangxi branch, and the funds needed for the project construction have also been secured. According to the assessment by the expert group, Jiangxi Province needed approximately 150,000 tons of fuel ethanol in 2010. As expected, Jiangxi Province will begin to implement the nationwide use of ethanol-blended gasoline in 2009; by then, all gasoline used for vehicles in the province will contain 10% fuel ethanol.