President Jokowi has established a task force to accelerate investment in sugarcane plantations in South Papua’s Merauke regency, aiming to boost bioethanol production in Indonesia. The task force, led by Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, aims to facilitate business permits for sugarcane plantations and address issues related to sugar and bioethanol production.
Indonesia aims to for self-sufficiency in sugar production and bioethanol fuel, with plans to open 700,000 hectares of new sugarcane plantations and increase bioethanol production to at least 1.2 million kiloliters per year. To achieve self-sufficiency, Indonesia needs to significantly increase sugar production from 2.5 million to 9.7 million tonnes by 2030 and expand the number of sugar processing plants.
State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has launched a biofuel product, Pertamax Green 95, containing 5 percent bioethanol derived from sugarcane waste, increasing demand for bioethanol in the country.