BIOFUEL production in the Eastern Cape will not threaten food security as has been feared, and has the ability to boost the economy, create jobs, slow down climate change and decrease South Africa‘s carbon footprint.

This was the unanimous conclusion reached by a panel discussion hosted by the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) earlier this week.

Panellists, who included representatives of Asgisa Eastern Cape, the ELIDZ, the SA Biofuels Association as well as Grahamstown-based Dr Garth Cambray who converts ostrich fat into biofuel, agreed that a thriving biofuel sector in the province could alleviate poverty.

SA Biofuels Association president Andrew Makeneti said it did not make sense that developed countries like the US saw more opportunity than threat in biofuel production, while developing countries saw more threat than opportunity.

He said there was no danger that using maize in the production of bio-ethanol would result in a shortage for human consumption, because there are millions of hectares of unfarmed land available that could be used to grow maize.

“The debate is not around land, it is about markets,” said Makeneti.

“There is an absence of markets in South Africa.”

He said the biggest challenge was the cost of transporting food around the country and that this could eat into farmers‘ profits.

Cambray said it was vital that people in the Transkei and former Ciskei were given an opportunity to make money out of producing bio- ethanol from crops like sugar beet.

“Rural people need a hand – they need to be part of the energy economy.”

He also pointed out the financial drawbacks of transporting crops, adding that poor roads in these areas added to the challenge.

“By the time you have transported the sugar beet 200 kilometres, you have used up your profits.”

A solution would be for farmers to own or hire the equipment necessary to produce bio-ethanol on-site, Cambray said.

ELIDZ biofuels specialist Msokoli Ntombana said a canola (rapeseed) biodiesel project was about to begin in various parts of the Transkei.

Canola had been chosen because it is a winter crop and would therefore not compete with food crops like maize.

Its by-products could also be used as high protein animal feed, which would result in cheaper dairy and beef products.

“The idea is to establish a biodiesel plant and to export up to 90 per cent of the biodiesel to Europe because they do not have the agricultural capacity to meet their target of biodiesel,” added Ntombana.

Asgisa Eastern Cape chief executive Simpiwe Somdyala said there was huge potential in the Eastern Cape to produce biodiesel made from soya, canola, sunflower and bio-ethanol made from sugar beet, especially since vast tracts of land in the province were lying fallow.

Far from threatening food security, such crops could be grown on a rotational basis which would boost the sustainable output of maize.

By-products of biodiesel production could be used as animal feed, thus improving the meat industry.

“The biofuel production should improve security in this region,” said Somdyala, who called for more investment in Transkei agricultural projects.