Cambodia hopes to become a leader in the development of bio-fuel in the face of increasing global oil prices, say government officials.
The development of bio-diesel produced from Jatropha curcas, a plant native to Cambodia, has drawn attention from investors, said Sat Samy, deputy secretary of state for the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy during a workshop on Cambodian bio-diesel held recently in Phnom Penh.
Bio-energy industries are present in a number of countries, said Secretary of State for Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy Ith Praing, adding that European Community (EC) countries will increase their use of bio-fuels from 15 percent to 20 percent of the total by 2020 with the intention of reducing green gas emissions.
Sat Samy told Rasmei Kampuhea that bio-diesel from Jatropa oil has many benefits; providing cheap fuel for generators, a renewable source of revenue for the economy and decreasing Cambodia’s reliance on fuel imports. Bio-fuel also promotes the use of agricultural land for cash crops, he said, as well as ensuring a clean environment, as bio-fuel is far less polluting than fossil fuels.
The industry is in its infancy in Cambodia, said the secretary of state, adding that ten firms have started production or shown interest in Jatropha cultivation so far.
A recent study showed 3,500 Jatropha trees can be grown per hectare, producing 3,000 liters of oil annually after three years.
Some Jatropha oil, produced by smallholders, is already available in Cambodia, priced at 2,300 riel (about US$0.57) per liter. Firms are buying Jatropha seeds for 400 riel (about US$0.10) per kilogram, said the deputy secretary of state, adding that many seeds have been sold in Kampong Chhnang, Prey Veng, and Kampong Speu.
There are some serious environmental and food security concerns about the planting of Jatropha in Cambodia.
Planet Biodiesel Outreach Cambodia produces all it’s fuel in a sustainable manner from WVO. We use this fuel to power our school bus and to generate electricity for our school.
We sell excess fuel in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville for the same price as petrol diesel in order to generate funding for our charity.
Tim Waterfield
June 27th, 2008
Cambodia relies too much on two industries: textile and tourism. These industries are particularly vulnerable to the global economic downturn. We need to focus our resources on our natural strength, which is agriculture, not tourism or textile.
Cambodia
April 29th, 2009