There are many global concerns but among the biggest, if not the biggest of all, is global warming. The instability of the crude oil market, fluctuating cost of oil prices around the world, stamped with the long term availability concerns are also major areas of concern. These issues are in many ways tied together and work on both ends are focusing on finding sustainable alternatives and investments to reduce the negative impacts of both problems on the environment and mankind. Millions of dollars are currently being invested in finding such alternatives, and one of them is being made in the biodiesel industry. A project currently being ventured into in this industry and which has extended into Belize, centers around Jatropha, a tropical tree and its fruit which investors say is a good source for biodiesel. Here in Belize, the Belize Biodiesel Incorporated was established to carry out the project.

President John Thomas, who learnt about the Jatropha tree about a year ago, says that large scale investments have been made in several countries. John Thomas – President, Bze Biodiesel Inc. “Jatropha is native to Mexico, Belize, the Central American Countries; this is where is came from. Two or three hundred years ago the Portuguese carried the seeds from Mexico to India where in India is was used to make fences which kept the elephants and water buffalos and the big animals out of the farmer fields. Recently when we have been running out of petroleum and the prices are going sky high it was learned that this same tree that the seeds could readily be made into a biodiesel. That is why India is sort of the world leader in the thing.

They got the big start and then all the other African countries and others have gone into it. Guatemala, the government of Guatemala has a big project going over there, El Salvador the same thing, it’s all over.” The project is also being carried through with Technology Alternatives Limited, TAL, which is currently producing high quality seeds for growing Jatropha Trees in Belize. Already TAL has cultivated and harvested seeds from a 400 acre plantation located in the Cayo District. In addition, Thomas says that the Jatropha seeds are a non-food product and therefore does not compete with the food market. John Thomas – President, Belize Biodiesel Inc. “It does not compete with the food chain so we won’t be guilty of driving higher the prices of food. As you know food in the last years has doubled in cost.” “The only possible competition would be if we compete for land that would otherwise be used for food production, but with all the land in Belize that is used for nothing I don’t think that will be a problem in Belize.

The Jatropha is also a very green product. It consumes much more carbon that burning other fuel emits. So, it will be eligible for some carbon credits, not much money but at least it is a positive thing.” Dalila Ical “Is this plant by far the best plant to produce biodiesel?” John Thomas – President, Belize Biodiesel Inc. “It does not produce more oil than palm oil for example, but palm oil is directly competitive in the food chain because palm oil is used for cooking, for food. This is the best plant that does not compete with the food chain by far.” Thomas adds that there are even more benefits to reap from this investment besides biodiesel. John Thomas – President, Belize Biodiesel Inc. “This tree will produce very significant income. One acre of the trees, mature trees will produce between three and five hundred gallon a year of biodiesel.

So, if you take the price of diesel times five hundred or three hundred you’ll see what one acre will yield for the farmers. The most important thing to me more so than that income, the ladies and children that are unemployable in Belize because there are no jobs for them can perform the harvest. They can harvest the little fruits.” “We are about offering farmers who wish to participate with us. We offer them a contract for the purchase of their seeds so that they know they have a market and we will even finance their seeds for them and they pay for that out of their production. We want to do anything we can to help farmers promote this. Also, government tells us there is going to be a large amount of money coming from government to the northern part of the country for alternative crops away from sugar and so this product definitely fits that bill and the agriculture department is working closely with us on this project.” According to Thomas, the seeds will either be bought by government for local consumption, or will be exported.

What is sure is that soon enough they will be building a refinery in or near the Orange Walk District. But although this investment addresses the demand for renewable energy which is also environmentally friendly, Thomas says that it does not provide an immediate relief for consumers in regards to the cost of fuel. John Thomas – President, Belize Biodiesel Inc. “This fuel probably will not bring down the cost of diesel materially because until we grow enough of this fuel to satisfy Belize’s requirements or enough of it is being grown to supply the world’s requirement, then, because then it has to compete with petroleum diesel. France for example, currently, the service stations in France, the diesel they sell there is called B20. B20 means, the B stands for Bio and is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

It is important that this fuel blend with petroleum diesel because there is no sulfur, no impurities of any kind in the biodiesel and it makes the petroleum burn cleaner. So, it makes it more environmentally friendly. But, it will be a long time before it will be the controlling thing for price. So, I can’t promise you that it is I going ot be a cheaper price but I can promise you that it is going to make the farmers that grow it a lot of money.” Dalila Ical “So the main objective in that case or the main focus is that it is going to be far more environmentally friendly?’ John Thomas – President, Belize Biodiesel Inc. “Yes that is correct.” Anyone or if any farmer is interested in reading more on the project, you can visit the webpage at www.jatropha.bz.

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