Arab-Brazilian Chamber participates in ethanol workshop in Sudan

Eearlier we referred to a highly interesting 'triangular' relationship that is growing between Brazil, Europe and Africa. The three continents are starting to cooperate in a typical 'South-North-South' formation, to produce biofuels in Africa (earlier post).

Roughly sketched, the idea boils down to the following, simple principle: ('South') Brazil offers its immense scientific and technological expertise on biofuel production and agriculture, ('North') Europe provides funds and strategies for technology transfers and for the smooth implementation of the projects within a socio-economic framework that is embedded in its development strategy for Africa, ('South') whereas the African partner not only offers land and labor but the willingness to engage in a dialogue on development strategies, and accepts to participate in joint efforts to create infrastructures, institutional changes and local/export markets. The three partners profit from mutual benefits that exceed the benefits they would obtain were they to go it alone.

In order for such an exchange to succeed, Brazil recently established the Centro de Agronegócio (created by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, the country's leading social science foundation), which has taken up bioenergy as one of its main research areas, and which aims to transfer Brazilian expertise to the South. From the start, the Centro announced it plans to cooperate with Europe to introduce biofuels in Africa. Sudan was one of the countries mentioned to be seen as holding a large potential. The Centro also sees it as its task to assist other organisations to pave the way for such exchanges.

The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is one such an organisation. Two of its representatives are in Sudan to participate in the Khartoum International Fair, which kicks off on Wednesday. Their prime objective is to participate in a seminar on ethanol production. They were invited by Kenana, Sudan's largest sugar company in the country.

Despite its oil wealth, war-troubled Sudan -- Africa's largest country -- is a potential 'biofuel superpower' that could supply Europe and Asia with renewable liquid fuels, competitively. After years of war, the country's agricultural resources have been left seriously underexploited. Assessments of Sudan's biofuel production potential show that, when all the food, fiber and fodder needs of the rapidely growing population are satisfied, there remains an abundance of land for highly suitable energy crops.

The country currently produces a modest amount of sugarcane and has been looking at the ethanol option. It now wants to cooperate with Brazil (and Europe) to get the green industry off the ground:
ethanol :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: sugarcane :: South-South ::South-North-South :: technology transfer :: bioenergy trade :: Europe :: Brazil :: Sudan ::

The International Ethanol Workshop in Khartoum is promoted by the ministries of Industry and of Energy and Mining of the Arab country and will include the participation of two representatives of the Brazilian organization, the coordinator of operations, Rodrigo Solano, and the Market Development analyst, Jean Gonçalves da Silva. The Chamber was invited to participate in the seminar by Kenana Sugar Company, the largest company in the sugar and alcohol sector in Sudan.

Kenana belongs to the governments of Sudan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and to private investors. The company also has plans to produce ethanol, a product in which Brazil dominates the technology. Representatives of Kenana have already been in the country many times to learn more about the national production of alcohol and to seek Brazilian partners to operate in the sector in Sudan. Last year, executives of the company participated in an international seminar about ethanol, in São Paulo.

At the seminar, according to the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, it will be possible to learn more about Sudanese projects in the area and to check the possibility of supplying Brazilian equipment for the production of ethanol. According to Alaby, the Sudanese are interested in Brazilian equipment and technology for alcohol production. As is the case with Brazil, Sudan is a producer of sugarcane, the raw material from which the product made.

Brazil is the largest world producer of alcohol. In the current sugarcane crop, 2006/2007, the country should produce 17.4 billion litres of alcohol, of which 3.1 billion should be exported, according to forecasts by the São Paulo Sugar Cane Agroindustry Union (Unica). This production will be the result of a harvest of 425 million tonnes of sugarcane, which will be picked in April this year. By the 2012/2013 crop, Brazil should be exporting seven billion litres of ethanol, due to investment that the sector is due to receive. This harvest alone, 12 new mills should be opened in Brazil, and in the next, another 16.

The Arab Brazilian Chamber representatives are in Khartoum to participate in Khartoum International Fair, to begin on Wednesday (24), in the capital of the Arab country, and to end on February 02.

The Arab Brazilian Chamber will have a 32 square-metre stand at the fair, in which the organization will provide information about the Brazilian production. The organization took to the fair catalogues of various companies interested in entering the Sudanese market. The country, which is in Africa, imported last year a total of US$ 7.2 billion in products.

In the period, Brazil had revenues of US$ 79.7 million with exports to Sudan. The value presented a significant increase of 15% over the US$ 69.3 million of 2005. Among the main products sold were bulk sugar, chassis and tractors. The global trade between both countries was US$ 79.85 million in 2006. Sudan exports little to Brazil: US$ 81,400 last year.