VOA常速英语2008年-India Plans to Increase Use of Bio-Fuel

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
10 April 2008

Next month, India will unveil a national policy to increase the use of bio-fuel. But, as Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, there is growing concern that increased demand for bio-fuel is contributing to global food shortages.

Officials say the national policy on bio-fuels will aim at meeting about 10 percent of India's needs for transport fuels with bio-diesel by 2017. This will involve bringing 10 million hectares of land under crops to produce bio-fuel.

But controversy¹ surrounds the increased demand for bio-fuel. Some experts say the diversion of crops for fuel is one of the factors that has triggered food shortages and driven global food prices sky high.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Jacques Diouf is visiting India. He says the use of land for bio-fuel needs to be reassessed.

"We have to look at the economics of it. We have to look at the implications, social and others, food security implication vis a vis other solutions that are holistic," he said. "Not look to just one aspect, how much money I can make in doing this?"

Indian critics say the country should use its limited land resources to grow crops for its billion-plus people and to ensure food security.

India says it plans to adopt safeguards. Only wastelands will be used to cultivate non-edible² crops for production of fuel.

But farm analyst³ Devender Sharma - with New-Delhi's Forum⁴ for Biotechnology and Food Security - says the land being brought under crops for bio-diesel could be used to grow other crops.

"Even if you are growing it in the wasteland, you need irrigation," said Sharma. "So irrigation, if it was there in the wasteland, there would have been no wasteland, which means these crops are ultimately going to be cultivated in the irrigated⁵ areas. "

India is no longer self-sufficient in food and has been importing wheat, edible oils and lentils in recent years.

However, Indian officials point to the country's need for alternate sources of fuel. India imports 70 percent of its oil needs and has been competing with China to secure oil and gas assets in places like Kazakhstan and Africa.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 irrigated   

[医]冲洗的

参考例句：

• They irrigated their crops with water from this river. 他们用这条小河里的水浇庄稼。
• A crop can be sown, weeded, irrigated, and fertilized uniformly. 一种作物可以均匀一致地进行播种，除草，灌溉和施肥。