An activist group on Thursday called a plan by Myanmar's military rulers to grow a biofuel crop "draconian," alleging that it was using forced labor and contributing to food shortages. The fiercely critical report, released by activists linked to the exile-based opposition, says the biofuel policy hurts an already ailing agriculture industry. It comes as biofuels draw intense scrutiny over whether their benefits in replacing petroleum fuels offset the resources they take from food production. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization has suggested biofuel crops may be causing shortages of food staples and rises in food prices.
See "Critics of Myanmar's junta say its biofuel policy relies on forced labor, cuts food output", Grant Peck, Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 30, 2008