Global Biofuels Limited, a Nigerian Biofuels producer has said that contrary to the global assumption that bio fuel technology poses a threat to the global food security, its technology in Nigeria would not pose problem to the nation’s food security, but would rather contribute immensely to mass production of food in Nigeria Dr. Felix Obada, group managing director, Global Biofuels Limited, said his Company did not just stumble into production of renewable energy but carried out detailed research on how best to carry on the project in a way that would support the food security of the nation and in environment friendly manner.

Obada said several works were done in the selection of the right strain of sweet sorghum, which is being experimented today for the project. “We partnered with the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) in developing 11 species of sweet sorghum which are planted in the company’s pilot farm. We also got two other species from India but the testimony today has shown that the Nigerian species are doing rather better even though all species have out performed our expectations,” Obada said bio-fuel refineries would make use of the sorghum stalk, which had in the past been a problem to the farmer in terms of disposal. “The farmers’ crop is not taken away at all. We only need the stalk which has been a problem to the farmer while the farmer harvests his grain to eat or sell. We are in no way tampering with the food security of the nation rather we are contributing to its development by taking care of what constitutes a waste to the farmer before.”

Explaining why sweet sorghum was selected, he said that maize, cassava, etc, are heavily consumed by Nigerians as staple food and so using those crops for fuel production would introduce some problems in the nation’s food security, again, the magic done with sorghum in that while the farmer harvests the grains, the stalks are consumed by the plants for bio-fuel is another reason why sorghum was selected.

Highlights how the waste from the crushed stalks would be treated, the Biofuels chief, said that his production plant is of the integrated nature. According to him, three major products such as bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and power would be produced from each plant. He said that the power section would consume part of the waste as bio-mass to produce electricity which would be part consumed by his company while the rest would be sold to other power consumers. “Another part of the waste would be crushed and used to manufacture fertilizer for the farms. We are going to mange our lands with organic fertilizer which every ones knows is the best fertilizers for the soil. The third part of the waste would be used to produce animal feed for fattening. We are going to run animal husbandry also to help consume this part of waste. By these we should have handled all the waste in such an environmentally acceptable manner that is not at variance with any agricultural policy both here and elsewhere in the world,” Obada said.

Throwing light on the workability of the waste management, he said that his company has concluded arrangements with The Shepard of South Africa to bring into Nigeria the Bughle Farmers Academy (BFA). The BFA is the brain behind the mechanized farms in South Africa which included fruit farming, vegetable farming, cereals and root tuber farming, animal husbandry amongst others. Obada said the BFA would be in the country by the end of the week to begin preliminary works on the company’s 30,000 hectares-capacity sweet sorghum farm located in one of the western states of the country. According to him, the Bughle Farmers are coming to advise Global Biofuels on important issues regarding mechanized farming which is currently a novel idea in Nigeria. Issues such as where to site rain collectors, technical issues on aquifers and construction of feeder roads in the farms which would divide the farm into 100 hectares each are some of the expectations that would materialize when the BFA arrives. Obada used the opportunity to explain how the farm would be administered. “We are going to retain and maintain directly about 10,000 hectares while the remaining 20,000 hectares would be left to the small-holder-farmers of minimum of 10 hectares to manage. This would give us about 2000 out-growers farmers, which the Bughle farmers Academy from South Africa would train on how to farm in a mechanized economic wellbeing. The BFA would also train farmers as extension service on other areas of farming adventures such as vegetables farming, citrus, animal husbandry amongst others and in all you find out that the arrangement is a win-win galore,” he said.

The challenges put forward by excessive burning and consumption of fossil fuel has placed man on a tight corner leading to various scientific studies on how to overcome the problems of emissions of dangerous gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide amongst others and other green house gases which consolidate together in depleting the ozone layer. This monstrous problem led to the discovery of other sources of renewable energy such as production of fuel energy from biological plants.

Concerted and dedicated research works in this line triggered the invention f the possibility of cleaner fuel energy from agricultural produce as the only visible way out of these factors causing global warming which have also caused tremendous titling in climatic parameters globally.

In Nigeria, the Global Biofuels Ltd has taken the lead for the production of bio-ethanol and diesel as well as power production and the management of the company has assured that it’s Biofuels technology would not run at the variance with the government’s efforts which is being put together in support of the nation’s food security programmes.