Maputo — Mozambican scientists and researchers told an International Symposium on Tropical Roots and Tubers that they are determined to develop varieties of cassava appropriate for the production of bio-fuels.

They were speaking in Maputo on Wednesday, the third day of the meeting, on the theme "Roots and Tubers for the production of bio-fuels: Challenges and Opportunities".

The national coordinator of the Roots and Tubers Programme, Fernando Chitio, said that research is being prepared to identify varieties of cassava for the production of ethanol.

"We are interested in using cassava for the production of bio-fuels, because that will add value to cassava itself", he said.

With annual production of about six million tonnes, Mozambique is the sixth largest producer of cassava in the world. Despite the apparent abundance of cassava, and of land on which it can be grown, there are voices saying that the production of bio-fuels will endanger Mozambican food security and biodiversity.

The fear is that farmers in countries with tropical climates may dedicate their full attention to the cultivation of plants used for the production of bio-fuels to the detriment of their own food security.

Chitio dismissed such fears, arguing that farmers will not cut their own throats, but will only sell surplus cassava for biofuels, after taking what they need for their own consumption.

As raw material for industry, cassava would attract investment and stimulate productivity, he said, and it also offers the farmers an opportunity to sell it as a cash crop.

The executive director of the Kenya-based African Agricultural Technological Foundation (AATF), Mpoko Bokanga, said that there is no reason to fear that the use of cassava for the production of ethanol might jeopardise food security and increase poverty in Africa. "On the contrary, people should be more optimistic, because opportunities will be opened to solve the problem of poverty", he said.

He further added that time will come when only refuse, such as the peel, and the leaves will be used to produce ethanol, and the most important part will be for human consumption.

"The African Continent has major potential to become a true actor in the issue of bio-fuels", said Bokanga, adding that ethanol should be seen as a stage in the cycle of development, because new technologies will be developed and the reality will be different within the coming 10 to 20 years.

Eduardo de Sousa, and Marco Patino, from Brazil, said that each country should not only determine its capacity to produce raw materials for bio-fuels, but should also continue using the land reserved for agriculture to produce food.

In most cases, including Brazil, they claimed, there is enough land for agriculture to produce raw materials for bio-fuels without endangering food security.

"Another important aspect is the fact that industry is the driving force to reduce hunger. As jobs are being created in service sectors to support industry, this will help people out of poverty", said Sousa.

He added that "small farmers may sell their cassava and generate financial resources to buy other foodstuffs and still have enough of it for their normal diet".