Thai ethanol industry seeks policy shift to stabilize cassava prices

In Thailand, industry is pushing the government to set a clear policy on ethanol to help stabilize prices of feedstocks such as cassava. Currently 2 million metric tons of cassava are being used for ethanol production but as much as 5 million tons could be used if higher ethanol blends were mandated.

Cassava prices are currently too high to be a viable feedstock considering the government’s fixed price for ethanol but more demand would see more farmers growing the crop, increasing supply.