Icrisat incubates projects in Mozambique

After establishing a successful Agri-Business Incubator(ABI) at its global headquarters at Patancheru here, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) is initiating a similar incubator in Mozambique, in collaboration with the Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM).

The collaboration will explore the possibilities for IIAM & Icrisat to develop the ABI together.

Icrisat and IIAM conducted a feasibility study in Mozambique and developed a business model for the ABI. A key management team from IIAM had visited India recently and studied the functioning of the ABI.

When the ABI becomes a reality, it will be among the earliest of its kind in Africa and would have the primary objective of developing agri-enterprise that will benefit Mozambique's agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing, Icrisat director general, William Dar, stated in a press release here on Wednesday.

The ABI at Icrisat here, has facilitated the transition of agri enterprises from idea to reality. One of the successful agri-business ideas facilitated is the project on producing ethanol from sweet sorghum.

Research carried out by Icrisat scientists developed sorghum varieties and hybrids that have higher amount of sugar-rich juice in their stalks.

Through the ABI, Icrisat linked itself with a private sector company - Rusni Distilleries - which established a distillery to convert the sweet sorghum juice to ethanol.

Icrisat is helping a Rusni subsidiary company, Rusni Biofuels Limited, to establish ethanol from sweet sorghum plant in Mozambique. This plant will produce 1 lakh litres of ethanol with an investment of around $30 million (about Rs 120 crore), benefiting 5,000 small farmers and cover 20,000 hectares through captive and contract farming.

Icrisat and Rusni will collaborate with Petromoc, a major national petroleum company of Mozambique, to enhance marketability and ensure successful implementation of the project.