“The big race is for the corn” said Julio Ferrarotti.

Throughout the world, researchers are seeking plants better adapted to stress. In the Biotech Forum, which will take place in Rosario on June 18 and 19, sponsored by Infocampo, will be presented the degree of progress that there is for the crops to have better performance in less favorable situations.

“All lines of work related to heat stress, drought, cold, floods, are
related to climate change, and in this sense what we are going to hear in
the forum concerns to the progress in developed countries, in emerging ones, and, of course, in Argentina.” says Julio Ferrarotti, organizer with Pablo Adreani (Agripac).

- What is being done in the world in terms of adaptation to drought?

-At both private and public levels, there is much activity in the world in
this issue. In the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia,
Brazil and Argentina there is aimed research. In our country, the station
Obispo Colombres, in Tucumán, has an event for soybean that is at
deregulation in the National Commission of Biotechnology, and Bioceres is
also working with the Universidad Nacional del Litoral.

- What mechanisms are involved in the adaptation of crops to water stress situations?

There are several strategies that can be amplified genes or combined genes
of amplified expression, which regulate defense mechanisms against drought, or it may be the introduction of inedit mechanisms, present in xerófitas species (adapted to dry climates) that are not present in cultivated
species. Mechanisms are linked to stomatal closure, osmotic regulation, cell
tolerance to plasmólisis, etcetera.

In legume we are working on the efficiency of biological nitrogen fixation,
as it has been seen that a plant in a better nutritional status supports
stress better. Ultimately, however, all lines are aimed at improving
efficiency in water use, especially in a scene where the drought seems to be
more frequent.

- What degree of progress is there?

Already, there are different announcements. In the United States have been
shown plants to drought conditions compared to normal plants, and the
positive effects are able to be seen of these transformed plants. Also, the
Biotechnology Institute of Rosario is working on the issue of water shortage
and the photos I saw about the experiments are more than auspicious.

- What are the crops that are of most interest and when they could be released for production?

-The great race is in the corn, which is a crop with high sensitivity to
drought. However, soy is being worked in this direction. The “when” is most
difficult to know because it depends on the regulatory processes.

-What would have happened in this campaign of 2008/09 if farmers were able to use crops better adapted to dry conditions?

-We would have had a lot less losses in performance. Perhaps much of the
production could have been saved.

Source: ASA / Infocampo

NEXTFUEL ARGENTINA opens www.biodirectorio.com, a space for agricultural and bioenergy companies to offer their products and services; a thematic search engine of www.biodiesel.com.ar, one of the most visited sites on spanish-language about biodiesel, agriculture and renewable energy and with an excellent position in major Internet search engines as Google and Yahoo.

We invite all companies of bioenergy and agriculture, as well as organizations, associations, conferences, congresses and exhibitions on these subjects, to register on our Bio-directory, suggesting the category with which they wish to be found in searches.

The Bio-directory also has an english version, advanced search, search by alphabetical order and by category.

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Biodirectorio.com is a venture of Nextfuel Argentina.

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This is the first time that happens. Until november last year U.S. was the main customer. The export prices of biofuel are still low around USD 730 per tonne.

Last april Argentine declared biodiesel exports for 108,573 tonnes by a weighted average price of USD733/t, a value similar to that recorded in march (USD738/t).

Photo: Emilio López King-Archivo Nextfuel Argentina/Biodiesel.com.ar

Altough prices are still the same since last december with almost all Argentine biodiesel plants operating losses, the amount declared in april increased by 27% compared to march 2009 (84.900 tonnes) and is the highest since october 2008, when sales were recorded for 118,901 tons.

The news, last april the European Union (EU-27) became the sole buyer of Argentine biodiesel.

Until november 2008, U.S. was the main declared destination of biofuel exports. But from december the EU-27 began to take the lead to become the only client.

80.7% of sales reported in february went to the Netherlands (Holland), while the remaining 15.5% was declared to be sent to Spain and 3.9% to Italy.

The main companies operating in the sector are Renova, located in San Lorenzo and owned by Glencore and Vicentin; Ecofuel, located in Puerto San Martin and controlled by General Deheza and Bunge Argentina, Louis Dreyfus Commodities in Gral Lagos, Patagonia Bioenergía, located in San Lorenzo and controlled by Energía & Soluciones and Cazenave & Associates, and Explore, located in San Martin and controlled by the chilean investment group Meck (one of whose shareholders is the Argentine Wenceslao Casares, founder of the bankrupted Patagon.com).

Source:Â Infocampo

New sugarcane and other cultivations varieties adapted to the region of USA by the Cost of the Gulf of Mexico are being developed for use in the ethanol production as an alternative that burns cleaner than the gasoline.Â

Scientific of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in collaboration with the Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station (LAES) and the American Sugarcane League USA (ASCL), have already launched three new varieties of “energy sugarcane”. This name is derived of the high levels of sugar and fiber, which possibly could serve as complementary raw materials of the ethanol. Â

The non refined sugar processors now burn the fiber to generate the heat that propels the processes of squashing the stems and crystallizing the sugar, Edward Richard says, leader of the Sugarcane Research Unit maintained by the ARS in Houma, Louisiana. The extracted sucrose is sold for the consumption or it becomes into the ethanol. However, Richard hopes the biorefineries will also use the fiber when the technologies to transform the cellulose into the ethanol are economically viable.Â

The three new sugarcanes -one with a high fiber level and a low sucrose level, and two with high levels of both fiber and sucrose- were presented on April of 2007 by ARS, LAES and ASCL as part of a cooperative program of upbringing. The launchings also show the commitment of ARS of exploiting the specific cultivations to a region as raw materials that will support the located production of energy and biobased fuels.Â

The corn -especially in the region of the Mid West of USA- is a basic raw material for the ethanol production. But in the southern part of Louisiana, the conditions of the floor are more appropriate for the production of the sugarcane and the sweet sorghum. The sugarcane also offers a key prosecution advantage compared with the production of the ethanol with the help of the corn: The sugar of the canes don’t need to be derived of the starch using enzymes or cooking them. On the other hand, the sugar can be ferment directly immediately to the ethanol after the sugar is extracted of the shafts.Â

Richard calculates that the yields of an acre of one of the three new cane sugars could almost produce 1.240 gallons of ethanol if the sugar is used as much as the fiber. To extend the cultivation season and prosecution of the sugarcane, and to extend the production area more toward the north, his laboratory is also developing varieties of the cultivation that are tolerant to the cold.Â

By Jan Suszkiw

Source: ARS

Last month argentinean external biodiesel sales were declared for 162.008 tons to an average pondered value of 1332 u$s/ton versus 1381 u$s/ton in August.

In the first nine months of 2008 the exports registrations ascend to more than 855.000 tons. On September of 2008 Argentinean biodiesel exports were declared for 162.008 tons to an average pondered value of 1332 u$s/ton, with a minimum of 820 u$s/ton and a maximum of 1590 u$s/ton. 83,5% was destined to USA, 9,7% to the Netherlands and the 6,8% remaining to Italy. Â

In August of 2008 Argentinean biodiesel exports had been declared for 101.280 tons to an average pondered value of 1381 u$s/ton. The data corresponds to the tariff position 3824.90.29.100P of the SIM/Afip.Â

In the first eight months of 2008 external biodiesel sales were declared for a total of 855.952 tons.

In the Argentina operate two big biodiesel elaborating companies that, at the moment, are those that carry out most of the shipments. It is Renova, located in San Lorenzo (Santa Fe) and property of Glencore and Vicentín. The other one is Ecofuel, located in Port San Martin, Santa Fe, and controlled by Aceitera General Deheza y Bunge.Â

Up to last March 12th the external biofuel sale was burdened by a retention of 5,0% and enjoyed a refund of 2,5% (that is to say it was entitled a net of 2,5%). starting from March 13th -according what the Resolution 126/08 of the Ministry of Economy established- it went to have a nominal retention of 20,0% (17,5% net).Â

While, starting from passed July 29th the export right on the soyabean is of 35,0% and on the soya oil (both raw and refined) of 32,0%.Â

Source: Infocampo

The Cooperativa Agrícola Ganadera y de Consumo de Porteña, in association with Italian investors, has in study the establishing of a plant to produce biodiesel in the new industrial park of Altos de Chipión, in the San Justo department. Â

As it was told by the holder of the cooperative entity, Gustavo Vignolo, when announcing the installation of a new plant of silos for the storing of eight thousand tons of cereals in association with the Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas(ACA) in that town.

The intendant of Altos de Chipión, Alejandro Baldo, pointed out that he already requested through the goverment´s vice minister, Fernando Coiset, an audience to the Ministry of Production so that the cooperative is included inside the provincial program of industrial promotion.Â

Starting from the purchase of a property of seven hectares between the municipality and private sectors for the establishing of industries, the Cooperativa Agrícola, Ganadera y de Consumo de Porteña decided with financing of the Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas to install a plant for the storing of eight thousand tons of grains. “It is a plant where everything is going to be made new, what will allow us to capture more production”, Gustavo Vignolo pointed out .Â

Source: La Voz del Interior

Due to the strong world demand, the production would grow 12% per year.Â

SAN PABLO (Reuters). – The world production of biodiesel would grow in the next years between a 10 and 12% per year, from its current 9850 million liters. Â

To this growth would be added an important exports expansion of this product of the Argentina and United States due to the strong world demand, as analysts of the consultant F. O. Licht predicted. Â

Alan Bullion, subeditor of the F. O. Licht World Ethanol and Biofuels Report, said that “the prices of supplies such as the soya, canola and palm should stabilize in the next two years”, when putting on the same level the existent plantations with the demand. Â

On the other hand, Bullion said that the European Union Commission (EU)Â is investigating the biodiesel imports from United States that increased strongly in the recent years and are affecting the European producers.

“The imports of soya biodiesel in the EU have increased at 700.000 to 1000 million liters per year, from 90.000 liters in 2006 and hardly 7000 liters in 2005?, said Bullion.

“Even so, the vegetable oil demand continues overcoming the supply in the EU”, he added.

At the moment, the EU contributes with nearly 66 percent of the current biodiesel world production, with 6500 million annual liters, followed by United States with 1500 millions. The Argentina and Brazil have relatively smaller productions, of 500 million liters per year.

“Although it is expected that Brazil will dispose of up to 9500 million liters by 2012, for the time being it is just a domestic market with very little exporting potential”, Bullion said.

Argentina, to the front

In accordance with the expert, the real growth of the biodiesel production will come from United States, and possibly in the future the Argentina may be the biggest exporter in Latin America because it has a great excess of prosecution capacity.

Also, Bullion said that 58 biodiesel plants are being built in the European Community, while 62 are being settled in United States. Other five are erected in Argentina and 15 in Brazil and the southeast of Asia.

By 2012, the biodiesel production of the United States will reach 8000 million liters, while that of the UE will be from 15.000 millions to 16.000 million liters.

The one of soya continues dominating the biodiesel market, representing 58 percent of all the fuel produced in the world.

Source: La Nación

Green Fuel Argentina, of Spanish and national capitals, will lift a biodiesel plant in Rosario’s port.Â

As it was announced to punto biz by Osvaldo Sortino-president of Raiser, the local company that has 40% of Green Fuel Argentina-who specified that the works will start up toward ends of the year and that will take 20 months of work. The complex will demand an investment near to the u$s 30M.Â

“In the port we will lift the plant for 240.000 tons and silos to store liquids, while the oil factory of 600.000 tons will be built in the logistical area that the port is going to develop in the west area, some 40 hectares in what was baptized as corridor Uriburu”, highlighted Sortino.Â

Consulted if the increase of the biofuel retentions (from 5% to 20%)Â can alter the plan, he stressed that it is a strategic investment, whose world demand will continue growing more and more. “As we are a company that is related with the energy sector, to intrude in the biofuels was an almost logical step, and we are very delighted with doing so”, Sortino explained.Â

Green Fuel has as one of the main shareholders (25%) to Endesa and it will contribute the operative and commercial know how for Rosario’s plant. The destination of the production is the export, but in the measure that the internal market demands they will also supply it. Raiser guarantees the supply of the raw material.Â

In January of this year, Raiser took charge of the operative of Terminal Port Rosario (TPR) in all regarding grains and solid fertilizers. That approach was the one that finished inclining the port as residence headquarters.Â

It is that Raiser was all 2007 working in the project together with Green Fuel (with who signed an agreement in June). The North American GEF also participated.Â

Before signing with the port, the best possibility was in Timbúes because Raiser had risen in lands of Noble (20 hectares to usufruct in 40 years) a storing and distribution plant and of fertilizers with initial capacity of 50.000 tons with the objective of getting up to 200.000.Â

In fact, the idea was also to lift that plant in land of Noble and to take advantage of the synergy with the future oil factory of the group. It is necessary to clarify that Noble never participated of the biofuel project as partner.Â

The profile of RaiserÂ

Raiser is a wholesale commercializer of fuels, fertilizers and grains of national capitals and with a lot of weight in the region. Its president is Osvaldo Sortino and its service net has infrastructure in Bahía Blanca, Ramallo, Puerto San Martin, Formosa and from ends of last year Timbúes.Â

In Santa Fe, it has plants in Alvear (fuel distribution) and Puerto San Martin (storage and manipulation of fertilizers operations, unloading service of trains and trucks, pocket process and loads to trucks, both bulk and pocket).Â

Other biofuels projects in the portÂ

That of Raiser is the third biofuel project for Rosario’s port, but it is necessary to clarify that both previous ones are still in the papers.

In 2006, TPR signed an agreement with Oil MyS, of the Cristóbal López managing group (also owner today of Rosario’s casino) to lift a biodiesel plant. Last year signed an agreement with the Brazilian Integrated Biodiesel Industries (IBI) for a plant of 60.000 tons.Â

One of the reasons of the delays in summing up the announcements is that there is a school inside the property so the national authorities could not authorize energy projects (there is also one with Enarsa in fuels for trucks and barges), situation that finally inished unlocking in 2007 when TPR financed the moving of the school and to begin to recycle the building.Â

By Mariano Galindez

Courtesy of Punto Biz for Nextfuel Argentina/Biodiesel.com.ar

Infrastructure works and chain of payments recovery, in the calendar of the new conduction of the entity.Â

Alberto Jacobson is the new president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Services of San Lorenzo. In dialogue with point biz, he spoked about the difficult moment that the region is going through right now due to the agricultural conflict and advanced that, in spite of everything, more investments are coming in biodiesel.

He had him to assume in a delicate situation for the industries of the cord.

The country is going through a situation that we don’t deserve. The country that wants to grow and to evolve doesn’t deserve this conflict, that should be solved, because the obligation of solving it exists. This is no longer a problem of certain society sector with the government or of a government stubborned in maintaining their position, but rather this is committing an entire social environment. There is an important delay in the chain of payments and a slowness in the commercialization where it harms our trade, industry and all in general. On the other hand when stopping the investments, there is no work and when there is no work, the first thing that is cut is the outsourced workers.Â

One of their objectives was to impel the development of the biofuel, that now a days is being object of debates due to the impact in the price of the foods. What novelties do you have?Â

We have in portfolio a chat with very good leveled specialists, that will be open to the population so that it is informed. The information that we want people to listen and to end with doubts like for example to know if it is true that we change food for fuel. We don’t use the colza or the soya to feed, but on the contrary, the soya is exported in 96%. We Know that it is necessary to replace fossil fuels for alternatives, either eolic energy, solar or thermal, to leave the slavery of the fossil fuels. On the other hand there are companies that are investing in the area to have their biodiesel plant. Renova was the pioneer, but there are four more companies that are with probabilities of settling as soon as possible in the area.

Is one of the points that is in calendar the construction of more roads in the industrial cord? Did the situation with the new provincial government improve? Â

For years we have been requesting this to the different governments, and that there has been promising to the region approved plans, made bids, and nothing is ever made. It is unheard that the government is not making anything in the exporter pole from which 70% of grains of the country go abroad. There are traced roads not concluded and very slow works not finished, as the interchanger on route 11 and AO12, that suffered many modifications from its original plan and that it has been causing us an important nuisance for more than one year that still continues in construction. Lets expect it to be a relief and an improvement for the region, because the planes that we saw when this interchanger began they are not the same ones that are executing now. We have hope that this brings relief, we always work in positive; you will never see the Chamber in pickets, or criticizing for a start; although it is not what we wanted we will continue fighting for the rest.

By Anabela TramontiniÂ

Courtesy of Punto Biz for Biodiesel.com.ar

Speaking in the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-France, Cunha declared that they already have contacts with French and Spanish companies keeping in view the installation of biodiesel factories that will use brazilian raw material. Â

“We are seeing the possibility to develop biofuels production projects in Europe. And since the European energy matrix is based on gasoil, it could be initially a biodiesel production plant”, Cunha said.Â

The executive made it clear that the negotiations are still in the “embryonic”stage, but he pointed out that companies of the two mentioned countries established contact with Petrobras to discuss combined projects.Â

They also have conversations in that sense with Colombian authorities, that would also include the production of ethanol and the establishment of biofuel distribution nets.Â
“To locally produce it is necessary to have a distribution net, what can be made by association or by purchase of existing nets”, Cunha explained.Â

He also said that in the two “premium” refineries that the company will build in the Northeast region of Brazil generating units of electricity will be used starting from biomass and this will be used as preservative of the petroleum.Â

Of the two refineries that will be built in the states of Maranhao and Ceará, with processing capacities of 600.000 and 300.000 daily barrels, the first one should be that of Ceará whose cost was estimated in 6.800 million dollars.Â

“It petroleum will be refined together with biofuels, in a new concept that is that of the ‘biorefineries”, said the executive. Â

Nextfuel Argentina-Biodiesel.com.ar