Careful planning and oversight can ensure biofuels bring jobs, revenue and home-grown energy to African countries without gambling with food security, a Brazilian biofuel official said on Friday.
A Brazilian delegation returned this week from a tour of seven African nations to share the South American country's success story in biofuel and encourage those with available land and the right weather to follow suit and expand the emerging sector.
"The challenge is to increase the productivity of agriculture to meet the growing demand for food and biofuels," Jose Nilton de Souza from the agriculture ministry's agro-energy department, told Reuters on his return to Brazil.
"Brazil wants to help countries to become more efficient in agriculture," he said.
Brazil is a major producer of sugarcane-derived ethanol and also makes biodiesel. It is keen for other countries to join in efforts to expand the international market. African countries would gain jobs in rural areas and reduce energy imports.
The delegation emphasized the importance of what it calls "zoning" before delving into planting. This involves using data on a region's soil, climate and other factors to determine which crops should be grown where and the best time to plant.
That helped boost yields on Brazilian farms, Souza said.
While promoting biofuels abroad, Souza said Brazil was mindful of concerns about using crops for energy rather than food. He said production should only be considered by nations already growing enough food and with enough water and land.
He recommended strong national regulatory frameworks to oversee biofuel production and prevent distortions arising.
"The main role of agriculture is to ensure food security. Regulatory bodies would help reduce risks, attract investment and not put food security at risk," Souza said.
"We have an interest in other countries producing biodiesel and ethanol ... but first it is important that they organize their agriculture to avoid problems in food production."
FOREIGN FIRMS
The delegation comprised mainly of agriculture and energy officials visited Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique on the circuit which began in mid-October.
Subsistence or family-based farming plays an important role in Africa's vast rural lands. Some crops like jatropha whose seeds yield oil, could be grown by smallholders for the domestic market. Exports though would be a different matter.
"If (producers) want to export and are exposed to competition, they could run into difficulties ... There has to be a transfer of technology through a system of cooperatives," Souza said.
Wealthy foreign corporations with their eye on unused arable land in Africa would probably be able to set up efficient production from the outset, but some governments are wary.
"A lot of the time the foreign investor's priority is not the internal market but exports. This is a debate going on in many countries (considering production)," Souza said.
Brazilian industrial giant Odebrecht will partner with Angolan private group Damer to produce sugar and ethanol in the African country from next year. The joint-venture involves an investment of $220 million.
A group of investors is also buying a disused ethanol mill in Brazil to be dismantled and shipped to Zimbabwe.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
