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Kenya forms biodiesel association to promote jatropha

9th May, 2008

In Kenya, a biodiesel association has been formed to promote jatropha-based biodiesel production. The association was established as an outcome of the 2008 National Bio-energy Conference in Nairobi. Jatropha has been used for many years in Kenya as a hedging plant.

Japan-based Biwako Bio-Laboratory announced earlier this year that it would invest $19.4 million (€12.6 million) in a jatropha biodiesel facility and jatropha plantations in Kenya. The Green Africa Foundation is coordinating the plantation effort in Biwako's behalf. More than 500,000 seedlings have been planted in the Eastern Rift Valley, Coast and Nyanza provinces over the past year under Green Africa's auspices. The provinces suffer from severe forest degradation and jatropha is being used to stabilise forest as well as produce farm income.

The Green Africa Foundation says that the EU decision to focus its biofuels target on sustainable biofuels will help, not hurt, the growth of the African biofuels industry.

Jatropha seeds yield up to 40% oil and waste matter is sold as fertiliser. With current yields of 1.7 tonnes of oil an acre, jatropha lags behind the 4 tonnes per acre realised from palm oil.