Biofuel Jatropha Doesn’t Measure Up

Jatropha, a biofuel-producing plant once touted as a wonder crop, is turning out to be much less dependable than first thought, both environmentalists and industry players say. Some biofuel producers found themselves agreeing with many of the criticisms detailed in a report launched by campaign group Friends of the Earth this week “Jatropha: money doesn’t

Ethiopia To Develop Biofuels To Cut Oil Imports

“Such a mix of ethanol with petrol has resulted in economic gains that include reduction in the levels of imported petrol.” Ethiopia wants to emulate Brazil by developing biofuels to cut its dependence on oil imports that cost the Horn of Africa nation more than a billion dollars a year, a government official said. Ephrem


China Asks To Plant Jatropha In Zambia

China has asked Zambia to plant two million hectares of jatropha in the Southern African country for production of biofuels, the Biofuels Association of Zambia (BAZ) said March 31. If agreed, the deal could become one of the biggest farming land ventures by an Asian or Middle Eastern country in Africa. “China has approached the

Jatropha Not A Miracle Crop

Jatropha, often hailed as a rich source of biodiesel that flourishes in semiarid areas of Africa, is hard to grow and often fails if farmers lack expertise, an executive of a company developing the crop said. Vincent Volckaert, the Africa regional director for biofuels technology firm D1 Oils, dismissed the idea jatropha can produce a


Biofuels Largest Market For Southern Africa Farming

Biofuels offer the biggest and most secure market for agriculture in southern Africa and could help ease the region’s electricity woes in the future, a biofuels conference heard March 31. Erhard Seilar, chief executive of the Southern African Biofuels Association, said the region’s farming sector stood to gain most from the growth of the fledgling

Jatropha Eyed For Biofuels

Mozambique has drafted a strategy for the production of biofuels from the drought-resistant jatropha crop, which contains up to 40 per cent oil, its energy minister said. “We hope the biofuels project will be approved despite the fluctuation of oil prices on the international market,” Salvador Namburete told a briefing. “We have conditions to proceed