TradeMark Southern Africa

Maputo:  Sun Biofuels Mozambique, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Sun Biofuels, has exported the first batch of 30 tonnes of Jatropha oil, from its fields in the central Mozambican province of Manica, to the German airliner "Lufthansa". Cited in the daily paper "Noticias", Sun Biofuels Mozambique manager for corporate affairs, Sergio Gouveia said that the exports of Jatropha oil follows an order placed by Lufthansa for testing on its planes, Mozambique's news agency, AIM, reported.

"Civil aviation is an interesting market, that's why we are looking forward for Lufthansa test results, which has shown a keen interest in our production", stressed Gouveia.

The export of the first batch of Jatropha (a type of plant) oil will dismiss some scepticism that has surrounded the debates around the cultivation of Jatropha in some quarters, who questioned the wisdom and viability of the adoption of this crop allegedly due to the lack of detailed scientific studies on the subject.

Another argument against the cultivation of Jatropha was the fear that it could damage food crops, as some claimed it could diminish grazing areas, allegedly due to its poisonous nature.

According to Gouveia, his company is excited with the new developments, because the international market looks very promising given that a tonne of biofuels currently trades between US$900 and US$950.

Employing over a 1,000 workers and covering an area of 3,000 hectares, Sun Biofuels has already invested about US$9 million on studies and the project itself. So far, the company is yet to start making some revenue.

The oil produced in Manica was grown, pressed and filtered in Gondola, in Sofala. Gouveia explained that one of reasons for the export of unprocessed Jatropha oil was the lack of refining capacity in the country.

In the export markets the oil will be transformed into biosynthetic kerosene to be used in trials in the aviation industry, where there is a growing awareness of the potential of Jatropha oil as a green alternative to fossil fuels.

Environmental protection is another factor that encouraged the company to invest in biofuel production, because of its contribution for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

Another advantage of Jatropha is that the residue left after the extraction of oil could be used for the production of fertilizers, animal feedstock and heat. In fact, this is one of the investments proposed by Sun Biofuels Mozambique.

According to Gouveia, one hundred kilos of Jatropha seeds have the potential to produce on average 35 litters of oil.

Meanwhile, Sun Biofuels is considering the possibility of encouraging peasant farmers to embrace this crop to ensure the availability of raw materials before the expansion of its cultivated area to reach in the near future the target of 11,000 hectares.

Gouveia, however, acknowledges the complexity and the challenges ahead. He refutes the claims that Jatropha could impact negatively on food security, noting that with the income made for the sale of both seeds and oil the farmers could use that money to buy food.