Biodiesel Production: What Next for Zim?

by Nyasha Kavhiza (The Herald) A technical analysis of the current situation will point to the lack of feedstock as the main problem stalling biodiesel production in Zimbabwe. ... Instead of discarding the project all together, the Government and all stakeholders involved ought to glean lessons from the experience and address the challenges that ensued from its first inception. The 10 percent biodiesel blending is attainable provided critical issues that need immediate atten-tion have been addressed.

... (T)he diesel engine is used in many vital sectors of our economy such as agriculture (tractors, com-bine harvesters, irrigation engines), mining (mills, earth-movers, sluicing plants) and transport. Moreover, due to insufficient power generation diesel powers generators that are used to provide household power needs.

In the hype of biodiesel production from jatropha (Jatropha curcas) that swept across sub-Saharan Africa in the early 2000s our hopes as a nation were rekindled and we hastily joined the bandwagon in the period 2004-2007.

We do have the facilities and infrastructure to produce the required 100 million litres of biodiesel annually.

However, the biodiesel plant at Mount Hampden and other smaller ones dotted around the country have become white elephants and are incapacitated due to the lack of feedstocks to produce the fuel.

It cannot be overemphasised that an agricultural entity under the Ministry of Agriculture, for instance, Agricultural Research and Extension (AREX) should have been at the helm of the jatropha outgrowing scheme.

The appointment of the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) to oversee contracting of the out-growers was not a prudent decision since the appointee is not an agricultural organisation.

If the outgrowing or contract farming approach is to be adopted, then a leaf has to be taken from the tobacco production model. In this model the Government is not the contractor, rather private contractors provide inputs to the out-growers who in turn sell the crop to their benefactors.

Conversely in a scenario whereby the Government is to be the main protagonist, then state plantations on which jatropha or other feedstock crops are produced should be established.

At the outset, there is a lack of elite planting material selected for quality used for the propagation of jatropha in Zimbabwe.

Therefore, plant breeding projects have to be conducted so as to develop jatropha cultivars that have superior yield traits such as high oil content and quality.

In a nation where food security is an issue, it would not be prudent to set aside 500 000 hectares of land to produce 100 million litres of biodiesel annually.

It is a fallacy that jatropha thrives commercially without any attention and with the most minimum requirements, that statement in as far as crop production is concerned has not been true.

It has to be understood that there is a world of difference between growing jatropha as a hedge and producing it as a cash crop.

It is of paramount importance to look into other prospective plant species that can be used for biodiesel production such as the Pongamia pinnata.

For Zimbabwe to be a competent biodiesel producer, considerable investments have to be committed towards technological innovation in agricul-ture. We need to find ways of minimising production costs while increasing output per unit area. This cannot be done with obsolete technology.

Arbitrary gazetting of prices will only hinder prospects of success as farmers may feel short-changed.

There is need for all the stakeholders to come to the party. Government ministries (Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement; Ministry of Energy and Power Development and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology), legislators, research organisations, non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), independent researchers and the layman on the streets need to be involved for the programme to be a success.

There is need for transparency and proper coordination among the three principal ministries. Sound policy formulation is a requirement. We ought to take advantage of the existing research findings, for instance, the areas suitable for jatropha cultivation have already been characterised by Jingura and contemporaries.

As a nation, we ought to learn from the previous experience and implement possible solutions. Outright dependence on imported petroleum will not be sustainable in the long run hence it is imperative that we start coming up with local solutions to this challenge. READ MORE