China to Block Ethanol Production

China is putting a moratorium on projects to make ethanol from corn and other food crops, telling producers to switch to crops not widely eaten in China, such as sorghum, a state news agency reported Monday.

China is promoting ethanol in an effort to reduce reliance on imported oil but worries that demand for raw material could push up food prices and the need for scarce farmland.

“Food-based ethanol fuel will not be the direction for China,” the Xinhua News Agency quoted Xu Dingming, an official of the National Energy Leading Group, as saying at a weekend energy seminar.

HoustonChronicle