Negros Island has vast unused area that is very ideal lands for bio-fuel plants. The unused idle lands is totaling to 93,659 hectares, which are however ideal for coconut plantations. The Department of Agriculture Biofuels Feedstock Group has said that in Negros Occidental has at least 59,666 hectares of idle lands while Negros Oriental has 33,993 hectares of idle lands. The Department of Agriculture Biofuels Feedstock Group also said that this idle lands are suitable for coconut and palm oil production. Coconut and palm oil are used as feedstocks for biodiesel production.

Biodiesel that has made from coconuts are called coco methyl ester, or CME. Because of the demand of biofuels are increasing, this is a great opportunity to expand coconut areas in the country, Department of Agriculture Biofuels Feedstock Group said. The demand for CME this year only is 78 million liters. By February 2009, the law will require a minimum of two percent blend of biodiesel.

The Department of Agriculture Biofuels Feedstock Group shows data that by 2010, the demand for CME will reach up to 173 million liters a year, with equivalent feedstock volume demand of 274,603 metric tons of coconut and equivalent area for production demand of 269,219 hectares. By 2015, the demand for CME will reach 209 million liters a year, wherein feedstock volume requirement will be 331,746 metric tons of coconut, and required areas for production, 325,241 hectares.

Coconut leaf pest infestation has threatened the prospects for coconut-source bio-fuel because the infestation has spread to more provinces in the Visayas. If this infestation is not stop through an effective and adequate measure then this will be a big problem in the production of biofuel industry. In the reports, hundreds of hectares of coconut plantation has been hot by this beetle pest. That is why the Department of Agriculture Biofuels Feedstock Group has come up to expand to other areas especially to vast idle lands to maintain current levels in coconut production.