A bio-diesel plant producing diesel from our own homegrown groundnut is
definitely a good thing. That is IF the plant can produce sufficient diesel
cheap enough to compete petroleum diesel on the global market.
Given the little I know about Gambia's climate and production system, it
will be optimistic to believe that the Gambia can produce enough groundnut
to make the bio-diesel plant a major contributor to our energy needs. Even
if the rains come back, our poor soils would need a lot of fertilizer (often
imported from Europe) to increase nut production. Then the question will be
how much do we spend to produce a barrel of bio-diesel oil?
Another point I would want to see addressed is what is the government and
the farmers' contribution to the venture. That is both in terms of tax
incentive and guarantees on nut prices to help the plant to meet its bottom
line. Would the desire to help the Plant meet its bottom line mean a cap on
the buying price of nuts from farmers? Would the government be obliged to
subsidize the plant in invent of severe drought or after an unexpected drop
in petroleum prices?
In the article France and Germany as cited as examples where the technology
is being used. The question is, are those countries in it for the economics
or the environmental politics? If it's the later then, Gambia should look
for other examples.
Personally, I believe that the government should allow the groundnut
industry to die peacefully and direct scarce resources in 1. value-added
processing of millet, livestock and fish; 2.vegetable farming and 3.
expanding markets for those products.
You wonder how much effort and energy we put into producing, processing and
marketing groundnuts compared to millet even though evidence suggest farmers
given the same level of incentive would grow millet and not groundnut. The
challenge I believe is for the government to bring millet marketing (to
replace groundnut) and to develop the appropriate the tax system.
Also important to note is how Gambians have become trapped in this believe
of becoming self-sufficient in rice production. Its been nearly 40 years
since the first rice development project. With billions of Dalasi spent,
Gambia imports more rice today than ever before. The reasons for poor
performance may be plenty but inadequate resources in one of them.
Given the situation we might be better off putting our scare resources into
processing millet to compete rice both in-terms of easy of preparation and
consumption. Our efforts should be directed at diversifying millet based
foods. It is amazing little has been done since "Footo", "Nyellen" and
"Mono" were invented. I say "Praise to our ancestors", to quote a veteran
g-ler.
Malanding
-----Original Message-----
From: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Jungle Sunrise
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 7:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: American Firm Plans Bio-Diesel Plant in Gambia
American Firm Plans Bio-Diesel Plant in Gambia
The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
November 11, 2002
Posted to the web November 11, 2002
By Paschal Eze
Banjul
An American company, Global Bio-En ergy Inc., plans to kick off a bio-die
sel project in the country in March 2003 as its contribution towards the
country's poverty alleviation efforts.
The company hopes to set up a plant that will convert groundnut oil into
diesel fuel, which can be used in any diesel engine without modification
and without any adverse effect on engine performance or life. It can also
be mixed with regular (petroleum) diesel or used in a pure form.
Among the ecological benefits of bio-diesel are that it contains no sulfur
and does not add net CO2 to the atmosphere. It is currently being produced
in many countries such as France and Germany, which use a high percentage
of bio-diesel mixed with petroleum diesel.
The plant will also produce seed meal to be used as animal feed, and
glycerol to be used in producing detergents.
Tim Cassidy, its senior vice president of international development, who
had served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia from 1994 to 1996,
told this paper that they are currently working out details with
distributors.
Global Bio-energy Inc. believes The Gambia offers a unique opportunity in
the field of alternative fuels, given the low price of oil seed crop and
the high price of diesel fuel as well as the deep seaport with modern
facilities, a stable government that encourages foreign investment, and an
energetic and diligent work force. The company is owned by Andrew
McLoughlin, assistant vice-president at Deutche Bank, James Funck, a doyen
of the US financial industry who had worked in Africa and Latin America,
and Tim Cassidy, a forestry expert.
--
There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve (Mike Leavitt)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
