Biofuels in Eastern Africa: Dangers Yes, but Much Potential as Well
(Netzwerk Biotriebstoffe News) Biofuel production is booming. Worldwide, production of ethanol for fuel has almost quintupled since 2000, while that of biodiesel has risen by almost 25 times. This is, in part, a response to policies to replace fossil fuels for transport with renewable fuels — in practice, biofuels. Subsidies and tax breaks have also been offered to producers of biofuels.
To understand more about the balance between opportunity and threat represented by biofuels, four countries in Eastern Africa — Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania — were chosen for specific study by ODI (Overseas Development Institute) in partnership with local researchers. Three questions were addressed:
– What has been the recent development of biofuel production? What is known about major investments announced with great publicity?
– What is the potential to produce feedstock? How much for domestic use, how much export, and hence what trade possibilities exist?
– What policies to foster and regulate the industry are in place? How well advanced are schemes to certify production for sustainability? READ MORE Download report
Excerpt from ODI report: …Much public debate on biofuels focuses, unsurprisingly, on prominent issues such as land rights and food security, but the technical understanding of agronomy, economics and markets is incomplete. The agronomy of promising feedstock such as sweet sorghum and croton megalocarpus needs testing, adaptation and dissemination: more extensive trials in different areas on farmers’ fields are needed to confirm their potential. Although the economics of jatropha do not look promising, work is needed to discover the agronomic potential of the crop — this may change the economics.
Much public debate on biofuels focuses, unsurprisingly, on prominent issues such as land rights and food security, but the technical understanding of agronomy, economics and markets is incomplete. The agronomy of promising feedstock such as sweet sorghum and croton megalocarpus needs testing, adaptation and dissemination: more extensive trials in different areas on farmers’ fields are needed to confirm their potential. Although the economics of jatropha do not look promising, work is needed to discover the agronomic potential of the crop — this may change the economics.To date, economic and market analysis gives broad guidance; but more precise and specific estimates, for different locations, are needed. READ MORE and MORE (The Independent View)
