Zimbabwean Academy of Sciences president urges more biofuel production

The president of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences, Christopher Chetsanga, said that “It is important for Zimbabwe to engage in the development of biotechnology energy crops such as jatropha, soyabeans and sugarcane so that the country can quickly work towards reducing the amount of fuel that it is importing by systematically replacing it with biofuels. Cuba is already working with a Jatropha variety that can yield 1,500 litres of biodiesel per hectare [174 gallons per acre]. This is a good model for Zimbabwe to emulate.” The Zimbabwean government recently decided to allocate at least 0.5 percent of the annual GDP to biotechnology research, development and application, and challenged the private sector to match that figure.

The 174 gallon per acre production rate, which is quite low compared to other predictions on jatropha yield, was not explained.

In Zimbabwe, concerns are mounting over deforestation resulting from the rise in oil prices and the accompanying use of wood for fuel. The Forestry Company of Zimbabwe projects that the rise in oil prices is causing the loss of 860,000 acres per year. The article mentions the use of wood for curing tobacco and tea, and for export, urbanization and fire as contributing factors.

The article estimates that 600 million Africans use wood for cooking and heating, and that 400,000 Africans die annually of respiratory diseases stemming from indoor air pollution caused by using wood and other traditional fuels.

Zimbabwe has been in the throes of a severe economic and currency crisis with ruinous inflation rates that have dampened opportunities to import foreign energy.

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