Pulang Pisau, C Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Investors have begun to eye the cassava potentials of Pulang Pisau district of Central Kalimantan province, which could be processed into bio-ethanol energy, a regional official said.

Acting Head of the local Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Service Muhajirin said here Wednesday that Pulang Pisau had abundant cassava production which could be processed and produce 750,000 liters of bio-ethanol per day.

He said that the cassava-based bio-ethanol could be used as alternative energy, especially to meet the need of household fuel energy consumption.

Muhajirin said that the district was able to produce over 18,000 tons of cassava which so far was only used as a food stuff and as raw material for producing glue.

He said that a number of investors have expressed interest in investing in this sector by building bio-ethanol factories.

The ethanol output which could reach 750 thousand liters per day could be supply to all districts to meet the need for energy of households in Central Kalimantan, he said.

The local people have earlier no knowledge that cassava could be processed into bio-ethanol energy which could replace kerosene and premium gasoline for various household needs.

"The people so far only know that cassava could only be consumed like fried cassava, be processed into chips or glue. They don`t know that it could be processed into a bio-ethanol energy that provides benefit for them," he said. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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