Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Bindura Bureau
12 January 2007
Harare — THE Zimbabwe Republic Police national biodiesel project is on course with the force beginning to transplant Jatropha seedlings in its pilot project which is expected to cover 100 hectares this year.
ZRP chose Mashonaland Central as the hub of its project and last year saw the force planting one hectare of seedlings at Shamva ZRP Farm, which are now being distributed to various centres countrywide.
Police expected to produce 1 000 litres of biodiesel a day as soon as harvesting begins in two years' time.
Mashonaland Central and Matabeleland South are at the forefront of the ZRP biodiesel project with the two provinces each planting 20 hectares of the high oil-yielding plant.
Yesterday the police launched the project with Harare transplanting 2 000 seedlings of the plant at the ZRP Farm in Shamva for its 15 hectare plot.
Staff officer projects Superintendent Edmund Maingire, who was part of the ZRP team that transplanted the seedlings in Shamva, said the pilot project would see the police planting 100 hectares of the crop countrywide.
"If all the plants survive, in the next two-and-half to three years we will be able to produce about 1 000 litres of biodiesel a day.
"The ZRP would be able to contribute to Government's national economic turnaround programme through production of biodiesel," Supt Maingire said.
He said once established, the Jatropha plants would continue supplying seeds for biodiesel production over the next 50 years.
"Our intention is to increase yields to even higher levels as our aim is to make a difference to the national economic turnaround cause," he said.
He implored other stakeholders such as private companies to join in the production of biodiesel saying this would contribute to ending the country's fuel woes.
"We wish each and every organisation would grow the Jatropha plant to meet their fuel requirements," he said.
Supt Maingire said although most Zimbabweans and other developing countries were sceptical about the biodiesel project, other countries like India were already enjoying the fruits of biodiesel from Jatropha.
"In India, the national railways has grown the Jatropha plant along every railway line whose seeds they processed to meet their requirements.
"Germany has 1 500 biodiesel filling stations while Zimbabwe is the only developing country that has taken the project seriously," he said.
Supt Maingire said the police would pursue the project until other private and public organisations realised its advantages.
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