Chinese Greater Kingdom to develop jatropha plantations in Congo - report

(ADPnews) - Jan 18, 2011 - Chinese company Greater Kingdom Group is planning to grow biofuel plant jatropha in four provinces in Congo, news agency Xinhua reported today, citing a source from the Congolese Ministry for Rural Development.

According to the report, the local government and the company have already struck an agreement.

Greater Kingdom is to develop plantations in the provinces of Bas-Congo, Katanga, North Kivu and South Kivu. It has asked the government of Congo to reinforce security around the fields where it will carry out the project. The company is also reportedly seeking tax exemption for its equipment.

Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub that is native to Central America. Its seeds contain high amounts of oil that can be refined using existing technology to produce diesel fuel, jet fuel and specialty chemicals. The plant can be effectively grown on marginal lands that are considered undesirable for other crops.

Last November, another sector firm -- US GreenGold Ray Energies Inc (PINK:GRYE) -- announced that it had completed a test on jatropha oil, showing it could thoroughly substitute fossil fuels. GreenGold's research concluded that the jatropha oil is similar to fossil fuels both in composition and in viscosity, and confirmed that it can be used with diesel and jet engines with no or minimum modifications.

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