Bioethanol investment in Africa

A South African company plans to build a $251 million sugar and bio-ethanol plant in Zambia, one of the largest non-mining investments in recent years in Africa’s biggest copper producer, an official said on Saturday.

Muhabi Lungu, a director at the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), said AGZAM of South Africa would start developing the project next month after signing an agreement with Zambia last week.

“The company will produce 200,000 tonnes of sugar and 28 million litres of bio-ethanol per year,” Lungu said. “Production is expected to start by 2013 and we expect that the project will create around 4,000 jobs.”

Lungu said the South African firm would cultivate about 15,000 hectares of cane sugar and support about 3,000 hectares of plantations by out-growers. Once completed, it will increase Zambian sugar production by 50 percent.

Source

Thomson Reuters, 2011-04-02.

Supplier

Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)

Share