Cassava ranks fifth among crops in global starch production. It is used as staple food in many tropical countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In (the) People's Republic of China, although not yet a staple food, cassava is of major economic importance for starch for a large area of southern (the) PRC, especially in the provinces of Guangdong, Guanxi, Yunnan and Hainan. Recently, cassava-derived bioethanol production has been increasing due to its economic benefits compared to other bioethanol-producing crops in the country. We discuss here the possible potentials of cassava for bioethanol production. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.