Biodiesel furor in Argentina
Biodiesel not only is making furor in México. Further down in the American Continent, Argetina is living a biodiesel boom. Up to 8 producing plants, totalling $110 million have just gotten authorisation from Argentina's Secretary of Energy to start operations, while an additional five will start working in the following months.
During 2007, Argentina has exported $66.3 millions worth of biodiesel, which is a whopping 1,364 percent more than in 2006. The 13 plants are expected to produce 1.6 million tons of biodiesel per year by mid-2008. The plants are placed in the oil-producing area of Gran Rosario, near Paraná river. The reason for such a boom is that Argentina is the world's second-largest soy producer in the world (with 18.3 percent of the global market), and the top exporter (6.25 million tons). Argentina holds 50 soy crusing factories, which obtain soy oil from grains, with a total production of 156,700 tons per day.
Besides these factory investments, according to the Argentinian Association for Biofuels and Hydrogen (AABH), up to 20 alternative fuel projects are under consideration, totalling $500 million. The Santa Fe / Gran Rosario area could benefit from this money, from companies such as Repsol YPF, Cargill, Oil Fox, Gea Biodiesel, Enarsa, Rosario Bio Energy, la Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA) and Agricultores Federados Argentinos (AFA).
[Source: Cadena 3]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 1:42PM (12/27/2007)
Argentina is being raped. Now more than half of Argentina's arable land is being used to grow Monsanto's Roundup Ready Soya. According to Buenos Aires agro-ecologist Walter Pengue, who specialises in the impact of GM Soya, "If we continue on this path, perhaps, after 50 years, the land will not produce anything at all," turning the world's most fertile arable plains into barren wasteland.
http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_print.asp?ID=1603
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Owain Ozymandias Buck 12:36PM (12/28/2007)
Tim, I hate to intrude with some critical thinking, but what does the genotype grown have to do with the effects of cultivation practices?
Roundup Ready does not directly translate into "raping" the land. Soybeans are one of the least malevolent monocrops grown--that and peanut. At least legumes don't require massive amounts of nitrogen to be added. Soybean also returns a good bit of organic matter to the soil.
True, there may be impact from repurposing land, but keep issues clearly defined. Your politics are showing too much.
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GreyFlcn 11:56AM (12/28/2007)
==At least legumes don't require massive amounts of nitrogen to be added.==
Actually thats not even a good thing either.
http://greyfalcon.net/n2o.png
http://greyfalcon.net/lca.png
http://greyfalcon.net/n2ostudy.png
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Owain Ozymandias Buck 12:12PM (12/28/2007)
That's why we need to work out smart rotations and sustainable production practices. I honestly think some of you just dislike anything beyond subsitence farming.
Grey Buzzard, you post on every single article and really don't help much. I don't think I've ever read a positive, constructive post from you.
Out.
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