5000 Hectares of Hybrid Castor Seeds Sown to Produce Oil in Ethiopia 
Castor is a plant with an oil content ranging from 46-53%. Global Energy has announced that its subsidiary, Global Energy Ethiopia (GEE), has successfully completed sowing 5,000 hectares of Chinese hybrid castor seeds for its alternative energy project in Ethiopia. The project entails planting and harvesting castor for the production of non-edible oil for the bio-diesel industry and for other uses.
The castor farming initiative is located in southern Ethiopia, approximately 350 km south of the capital of Addis Ababa. Just six months after launching the project, some 90% of the land has reached a germination stage of over 96%
GEE expects to commence harvesting in approximately three weeks and for the harvesting to continue for a period of five months. GEE will also open a peeling center in the town of Sodo, the capital of the country’s northern zone.
Recently, GEE signed a rental agreement for a 10,000 square meter facility in Sodo to house the peeling center. The agreement is set for 15 years, with an option of extending to 35. This center will have the capacity to process over 25,000 tons of castor plant fruit.
The agreement includes the establishment of a 3,000 square meter closed storage facility. In addition, generators and peeling machines have been purchased in order to aid with the advancement of the project. The total cost of the center (including equipment), is estimated at $250,000, and the completion of the project will be finished within 60 days of the start of its implementation. The facility will have the storage capacity to hold 3,000 tons of seed and 450 tons of castor plant fruit per day.
“Global Energy continues to explore new methods to produce environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective energy solutions,” stated Asi Shalgi, CEO of Global Energy. “The Ethiopian project not only represents a new and important piece of our puzzle, but it also allows us to significantly boost the local economy of an area in desperate need of help. I am pleased at the results we are announcing today and am looking forward to continued success for our company, for the local farmers and for the environment as a whole.”
In order to coordinate the complicated logistics of the project, GEE has developed a significant infrastructure for an agricultural cooperative in the Ethiopian regions of Waletia and Goma Gofa. GEE’s operations offices, located near the peeling center, includes a logistics department, computer operations and a staff of trained agricultural supervisors.
GEE is concurrently conducting a research and development program to achieve new species of castor to improve future yields and intends to conduct studies in eight experimental sites simulating a variety of conditions. Additionally, GEE’s agronomists are training hundreds of local personnel to operate and facilitate the entire planting through production process.
Related categories: Biofuels and biomass Eco-friendly Power generation Environmental technologies for Transportation
