Japan Looks to Inedible Crops to Run Cars

Japan will study turning inedible crops into biofuel for cars following concerns that ethanol is inflating food prices, a government official has announced.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is expected to seek out a million dollar budget to demonstrate that biofuel can be made from rice straw and chaff which can be used to run car engines.

The most common biofuel is ethanol which is derived from sugar beets, wheat, corn or sugarcane. But relying on these products can push food prices.

Budgetary plans will need to be approved by the Japanese parliament later in the year.

Biofuels are an alternative clean energy, thought to help reduce the dependence on the worlds depleted oil reserves and tackle global warming.

Reported by staff writer