The Ministry of Finance has drawn up a policy to promote the use of non-food products to make bio-fuel, a senior ministry official has said.

The government will offer subsidy and other forms of financial support to people involved in the production of such fuel to reduce their risk of loss, said Zeng Xiao'an, deputy director of the ministry's department of economic development.

Addressing a synthetic fuel forum in Beijing on Thursday, Zeng said: "We have worked out a policy to support making bio-fuel from non-food products (such as cellulose, sweet sorghum and cassava) because they are clean sources of energy and have limited negative impact on the environment."