Madagascar seeking biofuels investment to boost local economy

In Madagascar, the Sustainable Agrifuels Platform (PAD), an organization started in 2009 to promote the country’s emerging biofuels industry, claims that the country can produce an annual average of 386,000 cubed meters of biodiesel and 823,000 cubed meters of ethanol. The PAD and its partners anticipate a boost in the local economy over the next three years if it can attract the needed investment currently stalled due to lack of regulation. Industry players are urging the government to finalize its regulations on land tenure, market access, industrial zoning and appropriate production and cultivation processes.