Ethanol production plans gain power in North Carolina.

摘要

The development of three ethanol production plants in eastern North Carolina by the DFI Group is described. Each plant will use 60 million bushels of sweet potatoes and 22 million bushels of maize to produce 60 million gallons of ethanol annually. The plant will be fully operational by September 2003. Though North Carolina is the leading producer of sweet potatoes in the USA, it is expected that production will increase five-fold to satisfy the new demand. This could provide an alternative productfor tobacco farmers in North Carolina who are facing shrinking markets.