AGRICULTURAL experts said yesterday it was too early for China to adopt corn-based ethanol fuel to feed automobiles, given expensive production costs and the country's large population.

Li Xinhua, a professor at Shenyang Agricultural University, said on the sidelines of the ninth China Changchun International Agriculture and Food Fair that the massive production of corn ethanol could threaten the country's food security, especially when it suffered natural disasters.

The lingering drought that parched southwest China early this year, along with the devastating floods that hit most parts of China this summer, raised concerns over the country's grain supplies and stoked the debate on whether China should allow the production of ethanol from corn.

With 20 percent of the world's population but only 7 percent of its farmland, the country is facing increasing pressure to feed its population of 1.3 billion, especially as industrialization and urbanization gradually nibbles away at cultivable land.

"I think the time for massive production of corn ethanol will only arrive when China's corn output doubles," he said.

Li's comments came after China's largest membership association of private petroleum enterprises proposed that the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, should halt a corn-to-ethanol project.

Zhao Youshan, president of the Petroleum Flow Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce, said such projects should be blamed for the price hikes seen in corn during the first half of the year.

"On one hand, some regions face a decline in grain output. On the other hand, the demand from fuel ethanol producing companies boosted corn prices," he said.

China launched a pilot program in four regions in 2004 to promote its corn-to-ethanol projects.

China has a growing appetite for energy to power its economic development and improve people's lives. As more and more Chinese people purchased cars, the demand for fuel soared.

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• agricultural [ægri´kʌltʃər(ə)l] a.农业的 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• agriculture [´ægrikʌltʃə] n.农业；农事 (初中英语单词)
• threaten [´θretn] v.恐吓；有....的危险 (初中英语单词)
• security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)
• debate [di´beit] n.&v.讨论，辩论 (初中英语单词)
• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对...施压力 (初中英语单词)
• output [´autput] n.产品；产品；计算结果 (初中英语单词)
• reform [ri´fɔ:m] v.&n.改革；改良；革除 (初中英语单词)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)
• commerce [´kɔmə:s] n.商业；社交；交流 (初中英语单词)
• program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
• promote [prə´məut] vt.促进；发扬；助长 (初中英语单词)
• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)
• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
• massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)
• southwest [,sauθ´west] n.&a.西南(方)(的) (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
• membership [´membəʃip] n.会员资格；全体会员 (高中英语单词)
• commission [kə´miʃən] n.委任(状) vt.委任 (高中英语单词)
• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
• drought [draut] n.旱灾；干旱 (英语四级单词)
• petroleum [pi´trəuliəm] n.石油 (英语四级单词)