Current Scenario of Agriculture and Biofuel in Asia: Strategic Management, Sustainability, Supply Chains and Future Opportunities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69565/jeba.v4i2.489Keywords:
Agriculture, Asia, biofuel, ethanol, biodiesel, agricultural residues, circular economy, supply chain management, sustainable aviation fuel, energy security, agricultural policyAbstract
Asia is simultaneously the world’s major agricultural production centre, the largest concentration of the global population, and one of the fastest-growing energy markets. This combination is creating a strategic intersection between agriculture and biofuel production. Agricultural commodities such as sugarcane, maize, cassava, palm oil, soybean, rapeseed and rice provide established feedstocks for ethanol and biodiesel, while crop residues, animal wastes, used cooking oils and other agro-industrial residues are increasingly being considered for second-generation and advanced biofuels. The Asian biofuel landscape, however, is highly heterogeneous. India is rapidly expanding ethanol blending and developing agricultural-residue-based ethanol; Indonesia has moved to B40 biodiesel based primarily on palm oil; Malaysia is strengthening palm-biodiesel utilization; China is emphasizing grain-based ethanol alongside agricultural-residue utilization; Thailand continues to integrate sugarcane, cassava and palm-based biofuels; while Japan and other advanced Asian economies are increasingly focusing on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The central management challenge is no longer simply whether Asia can produce biofuels, but how agricultural resources can be allocated between food, feed, fibre, industrial products and energy without compromising food security, farmer income, environmental sustainability or long-term resource availability. Current evidence indicates that first-generation biofuels remain commercially important because their supply chains, technologies and markets are mature, but their expansion can increase competition for land, water and food commodities. Second-generation biofuels based on agricultural residues offer a more attractive circular-economy pathway, although collection, transportation, pretreatment, conversion costs and decentralized supply remain significant barriers. From a management perspective, successful Asian biofuel development will therefore depend on integrated feedstock planning, farmer participation, supply-chain optimization, technology selection, sustainability certification, public–private partnerships and stable policy frameworks. This review examines the current agricultural and biofuel scenario in Asia and proposes a strategic management framework for linking agricultural productivity with low-carbon energy development
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