Jatropha Biodiesel Project Back on Track

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August 27, 2018

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by Debra Matabvu (Sunday Mail) Conceived 12 years ago when the country was in the throes of biting fuel shortages, the jatropha biodiesel project – which was premised on cutting the country’s fuel import bill – seemingly suffered a stillbirth.

The multi-million dollar jatropha processing plant in Mt Hampden, which was touted as the first of its kind in Africa, became a white elephant. Government’s envisaged plans to transform farmlands into “oil fields” also fell through.

But the project is now on the rebound.

Government, which is aggressively working on cutting the import bill, narrow the trade deficit and actively promote renewable energy, has decided to breathe life into the project. The Ministry of Energy and Power Development, through Finealt Engineering – its biodiesel processing company – has adopted the business.

Most notably, the decision to pursue the project was taken after years of research, developing a profitable business model and fundraising. At the 6000-hectare Nyakadecha Plantation in Mudzi, Mashonaland East, a massive jatropha project is taking shape. Land preparations at the plantation are nearing completion.

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“We have since located Mudzi, Mutoko, Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe and some places in Mashonaland East as some of the places that have some of the ideal climate conditions for growing jatropha. We have also identified that cuttings have yielded better results, compared to seedlings.

“Thus, we also saw it fit to manufacture biodiesel machines that are suitable for the Zimbabwean climate, so that we do not have to import the machines or the spare parts from other countries. During the inception of the programme, we acquired machines from China. However, these are lying idle as we do not have foreign currency to buy the machine parts needed.

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It is believed that over the years, Finealt Engineering has been engaging technical experts drawn from local universities who have been testing different varieties of jatropha plants with a view of establishing those suitable for the country’s various ecological regions. Given enough resources and investments,(Nyakadecha Plantation’s research and development manager Mr Tadious) Nyamayevu said, the project has the potential of creating thousands of jobs and save foreign currency.

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Presently, Finealt Engineering is producing a litre of biodiesel at US$0,98 but intends to drive the price down to US$0,78 due to improved efficiencies. The retail price for regular diesel is $1,23 to $1,29 per litre. READ MORE

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