Brasília, 9/26/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Yesterday, at the "International Seminar on Public Policy for Biofuels," at the Chamber of Deputies, ten organizations held discussions that lasted six hours on the use of biodiesel fuels, especially those that are soybean-based. The objective of the discussions was to find viable substitutes for petroleum-based fuels.

The unanimous opinion at the seminar was that with regard to Brazil biodiesel could revolutionalize the future. Comparisons were made to the country's experience with sugarcane-based fuel (alcohol) that was developed in the 1970s. "Brazil is already a pioneer in the production of biofuels. The Proalcohol Program of the 1970s was a benchmark in that process," declared one of the delegates at the seminar, Juan Diego Ferres, who represented the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oils (Abiove). (AB)