I think it's pretty much accepted as a given that the game designers wanted a way to make player groups more or less self sufficient when it came to fueling up their one or two vehicles. They probably also wanted to slow vehicle movement so that a group of players couldn't drive halfway across Poland in a single afternoon. Plus, there's no doubt the nuclear exchanges described in GDW canon would pretty much end most conventional fuel production and distribution for at least a decade.
I think the idea is that methanol could be produced with the byproducts of conventional agriculture. Cornstalks, husks, and cobs could be used for fuel while the corn itself would be used as food. That kind of kills two birds with one stone. You wouldn't necessarily need to choose one over the other- you could eat and still brew up fuel meth/eth.
I know it's bad science but a suspension of disbelief is needed here.
Perhaps some sort of enzyme or something was developed to help in the alcohol field brewing process.
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