Oversight Panel to Review 5% Coconut Biofuel Proposal
by Camille A. Aguinaldo (Business World) The Congressional Oversight Committee on Biofuels is set to conduct a hearing on the proposal of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to increase the coconut content in biodiesel to 5% from the present 2%, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said on Monday.
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In a statement, Mr. Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate committee on energy and co-chairs the congressional oversight committee, reiterated his reservations towards the proposal, which the DA plans to resubmit to the Office of the Executive Secretary.
The senator said the proposal may result in higher biodiesel prices, which his office estimated in its study might rise 7.5%, equivalent to P2.86.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol is pushing for the increase in coconut content to help prop up copra prices. In a social media post on Feb. 24, Mr. Piñol maintained that more coconut content in biodiesel would improve the mileage of vehicles by about three kilometers per liter and would help address air pollution. READ MORE