In an opinion piece, Francois Baird - Founder of FairPlay gives reasons why ethanol should be a priority in SA. He says the country produces abundant amounts of sugar, from which more than 60% of the world’s fuel ethanol is made. However, much of this sugar is exported at a loss, because production exceeds local demand. Together with rising imports, the result is that the South African sugar industry and thousands of jobs in poverty-stricken rural areas are at risk

He further states that another important consideration is that a sugar-based fuel ethanol industry would not impact on SA’s food security, because no production would be diverted from human and animal consumption needs to ethanol. This is not the case with grains, particularly maize, which is grown in large volumes in the United States for the production of biodiesel.

Guest: Lebogang Chaka – Spokesperson for Sugar at FairPlay