Study: Tanzania has big biofuel potential

By Bernard Lugongo

Tanzania has a huge potential for producing biofuels without hampering the cultivation of food crops, a new study has shown.

The study conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently observed that the country’s land is highly suitable for cultivation of the cassava crop from which ethanol could be produced without affecting food security.

The report shows that cassava-based ethanol schemes, linked to out-growers, would be a viable option for biofuel development that could lead to economic growth and poverty reduction in the country.

What had to be stressed was whether cassava production could be scaled up from an agronomic point of view, to ensure large-scale production was viable and diseases were controlled, it added.

“Increased public spending to address low yields in the agricultural sector are vital to avoid any potential competition with biofuels materializing,” the report argues.

The production of biofuels from cassava would allow participation of smallholder farmers.

“This again underscores the need for investment in agriculture and agricultural research and development,” the report adds.

The report notes that biofuels and agricultural markets in Tanzania are sensitive to changes in government biofuels policies.

It points out that there is no national-level trade-off between biofuels and food production, but that there could be a trade-off between biofuels expansion and traditional export crops.

The analysis suggests that the dividends from investing in biofuels can have positive impacts on poverty reduction and growth, assuming that that there are public investments to support biofuels development.

The study on “Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) was aimed to support the development of bioenergy policies that are aligned with the country’s poverty reduction and food security strategies,” the report notes.

It indicates also that the country is blessed with land that has a great potential for high yields of sunflower.

Potential for sugar cane production under rain-fed conditions, however, was seen as being limited but irrigation could bring a significant positive change to the sector.

Nevertheless, ethanol from sugar cane was a competitive option in the country and it required a large-scale industrial set up.

The report argues that while this type of biofuel supply chain would be good for economic growth, it may not have a poverty reduction effect.

Ethanol from molasses may prove to be too risky, and if pursued, would need further investigation to assess the most effective market.

The analysis shows that molasses is an unstable source of feedstock in the region.

The assessment of the suitability of land for sweet sorghum also showed there was high potential.

The report points out that sweet sorghum presents a possible alternative to sugar cane because of its lower water requirements.
However, it argues that this crop may require the nation to carry out an investigation in order to understand if it would be a relevant solution for some areas in the country.

“Sweet sorghum is a multi-use crop which may hedge against risk and volatility in food and energy markets.

source: thecitizen.co.tz