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Tequila endangered by switch to biofuels

telegraph.co.uk — Tequila could become a thing of the past as Mexico appears to be turning its back on the cactus-like plant from which the country's national tipple is made, in favour of more profitable crops.

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 28, 2008

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  • Rizoh, on 08/27/2008, -7/+61Good. That famous-for-nothing bitch needs to go away for a while.
  • ryborg, on 08/28/2008, -0/+37Awesome.. now I wont wake up on the roof in my underwear anymore!!
  • orthodoxDrew, on 08/27/2008, -0/+27geez, the last thing we need is more expensive tequila :(
  • trer, on 08/28/2008, -1/+22What they need to do is turn Tila Tequila into biofuel so we don't have to look at her gremlin face anymore.
  • johnwesley, on 08/27/2008, -1/+22The true tragedy of oil addiction.
  • inactive, on 08/27/2008, -0/+19Nooooooooo! Say it a'int so!
  • Equinox2012, on 08/28/2008, -0/+18Won't someone please think of the children!!
  • jsd8cc, on 08/28/2008, -0/+18There will definitely be less children around without tequila.
  • leafsfanatic, on 08/28/2008, -0/+13Find girls that don't wear them?
  • Scrappy1850, on 08/28/2008, -0/+12wow, i hope you mean the thing that covers storm drains
  • cawpin, on 08/28/2008, -0/+12This story is ***** ridiculous. It's like saying Scotland is going to stop making Scotch because corn is more profitable.
  • OtterStratton, on 08/28/2008, -0/+11Now what will I use to make girls panties come off?


    +2 to the first person who replies "roofies"
  • ErrorLoading, on 08/28/2008, -0/+10The moment farmers stop growing it, it will make it worth more, which will in turn make farmers grow it.

    EVERYONE PANIC, ECONOMICS!!!
  • ethornquist, on 08/28/2008, -0/+10I hope the price of every thing that makes me wake up hugging a manhole skyrockets.
  • pintomp3, on 08/28/2008, -0/+10drive less, drink more.
  • benjorino, on 08/28/2008, -1/+11roofies
  • inactive, on 08/28/2008, -0/+9I will not go. Turn the lights off, carry me home!
  • benjorino, on 08/28/2008, -0/+8YES! +2 IS MINE!
  • Triplastic, on 08/28/2008, -0/+7One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, poor!
  • jkgm, on 08/28/2008, -1/+7"...US motorists turn towards biofuels in an attempt to avoid the soaring cost of petrol - now $2 a gallon." ORLY?
  • suckanucka, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6My mouth.
  • inactive, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6if its comfortable why stop?
  • andyb747, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6Don Julio save us !
  • yayster, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6Dumb asses. The Agave itself can be used to produce biofuel. And it grows easier than corn and produces more fuel:

    "Agave tequilana weber can yield up to 2,000 gallons of distilled ethanol per acre per year and from 12,000-18,000 gallons per acre per year if their cellulose is included, some 14 dry tons of feedstock per acre every year.
    Corn ethanol, for example, has an energy balance ratio of 1.3 and produces approximately 300-400 gallons of ethanol per acre. Soybean biodiesel, with an energy balance of 2.5, typically can yield 60 gallons of biodiesel per acre while an acre of sugar cane can produce 600-800 gallons of ethanol"
    --- 2nd citation.

    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/agave-inve ...
    http://bioenergy.checkbiotech.org/news/2008-08-08/ ...

    I bet ADM and other seed manufacturers (for corn) are sending representatives to the farmers in Mexico, and suggesting that they actually remove the Agave crops and replace them with corn -- All for their own profit.

  • z0mb13, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6Tequila will never disappear, that's just dumb. They will focus on corn for a while driving the price of tequila back up and then agave will be back where "the money is at."
  • SirFoxx, on 08/28/2008, -0/+5***** BIOFUEL, I want my CABO WABO.


    What I don't understand is, Mexico has plenty of land to grow whatever for biofuel but agave has to be grown in the Jalisco(sp?) region for it to be called Tequila. So just grow a bunch of whatever outside of that region.
  • Haroshia, on 08/28/2008, -0/+5It's ok Rizoh, I got the joke. You meant Tila Tequila.
  • inactive, on 08/28/2008, -1/+6QUE?!
  • KRY4no1, on 08/28/2008, -0/+5NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
  • bajiroshi, on 08/28/2008, -0/+5It just means that tequila will get more expensive and the last three guys producing it will be rich as hell.
  • inactive, on 08/28/2008, -1/+5I have never heard a stronger argument for going electric.
  • JQP123, on 08/28/2008, -2/+6"What I don't understand is..."

    Economics? Here, let me attempt to explain.

    Grow agave, you make X
    Grow corn for ethanol, you make 2X.

    Assuming you're a poor Mexican farmer (who probably has a much better grasp of economics than you), which are you going to grow ... corn or agave?

    Anyone who thinks that energy crops won't compete with food crops is either naive, willfully ignorant or both.
  • ethornquist, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Scrappy1850, I meant storm drains. Not that there's anything wrong with manholes that aren't storm drains . . .
  • jaxcs, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Well of course, that's why they say it's a boom and bust cycle. But 6 years just to grow a plant - and for that plant to earn you 2 cents a pound is just rough.
  • tdogg241, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Forget-me-nows!
  • asnider, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Agreed. Sure, many farmers will stop growing agave, and tequila will become more expensive, but I sincerely doubt that it will stop being produced altogether.
  • theOster, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4are you kidding me? between Tequila, Corona, and Tecate when the times are tight, I think the Mexicans are one of the few people that have their alcohol figured out.
  • melonhedd, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4You're so much classier than we are.
  • londubh, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4Put a worm in your tank!
  • Seph7, on 08/28/2008, -0/+4na na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na na na.
  • thewade, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3Oddly enough new studies are showing agave makes a cheaper biofuel then corn or wheat. http://digg.com/environment/Drink_it_or_Drive_it_T ...
  • Pandatot, on 08/28/2008, -1/+4I am extremely angry at myself for wondering why biofuels would have any impact on an ugly little asian troll-woman.
  • PimpSetBitch, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3if i put a shot of 151 in my gas tank, i get four hundred miles
  • leerayIG88, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3I thought they were talking about tila tequila...my bad
  • evekellygirl, on 08/28/2008, -1/+4gallon of gas: $3.65

    shot of patron: $11.75

    the real question is, which one gets you further. : )

  • bearcat8543, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3whoosh!
  • freshgrease, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3And here I just turned 21 yesterday.
  • pantherxx, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3wow, i've been drunk, but never THAT drunk.
  • daveconrey, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3This is a travesty.
  • Cupantae, on 08/28/2008, -0/+3Well, if the premise of the article is correct, then that's the most that will happen. As long as there's demand for it, it will command a price. The idea that it will stop being made doesn't make sense
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