EDITOR’S NOTE: This is just one more prove that the food shortage in southern Ethiopia is man-made by the Meles regime, not lack of rain.
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Global Energy (OTCBB:GEYI), an alternative energy innovator, announced today that its subsidiary, Global Energy Ethiopia (GEE), has successfully completed sowing 5,000 hectares of Chinese hybrid castor seeds for its alternative energy project in Ethiopia. The project entails planting and harvesting castor for the production of non-edible oil for the bio-diesel industry and for other uses.
Castor is a plant with an oil content ranging from 46-53%.
The castor farming initiative is located in southern Ethiopia, approximately 350 km south of the capital of Addis Ababa. Just six months after launching the project, some 90% of the land has reached a germination stage of over 96%
GEE expects to commence harvesting in approximately three weeks and for the harvesting to continue for a period of five months. GEE will also open a peeling center in the town of Sodo, the capital of the country’s northern zone.
Recently, GEE signed a rental agreement for a 10,000 square meter facility in Sodo to house the peeling center. The agreement is set for 15 years, with an option of extending to 35. This center will have the capacity to process over 25,000 tons of castor plant fruit.
The agreement includes the establishment of a 3,000 square meter closed storage facility. In addition, generators and peeling machines have been purchased in order to aid with the advancement of the project. The total cost of the center (including equipment), is estimated at $250,000, and the completion of the project will be finished within 60 days of the start of its implementation. The facility will have the storage capacity to hold 3,000 tons of seed and 450 tons of castor plant fruit per day.
“Global Energy continues to explore new methods to produce environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective energy solutions,” stated Asi Shalgi, CEO of Global Energy. “The Ethiopian project not only represents a new and important piece of our puzzle, but it also allows us to significantly boost the local economy of an area in desperate need of help. I am pleased at the results we are announcing today and am looking forward to continued success for our company, for the local farmers and for the environment as a whole.”
In order to coordinate the complicated logistics of the project, GEE has developed a significant infrastructure for an agricultural cooperative in the Ethiopian regions of Waletia and Goma Gofa. GEE’s operations offices, located near the peeling center, includes a logistics department, computer operations and a staff of trained agricultural supervisors.
GEE is concurrently conducting a research and development program to achieve new species of castor to improve future yields and intends to conduct studies in eight experimental sites simulating a variety of conditions. Additionally, GEE’s agronomists are training hundreds of local personnel to operate and facilitate the entire planting through production process.
About Global Energy
Global Energy’s (www.global-energy.net) mission is to commercialize innovative technologies which produce energy from waste and renewable sources, while contributing to a vision of a cleaner environment. Global Energy intends to use the most efficient and environmentally friendly of all currently available alternative fuel technologies, each originally developed and patented by acclaimed scientists.
Forward-Looking Statements.
Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, that GEE plans to commence harvesting in three weeks and for harvesting to continue for a period of five months; that it plans to open a peeling center in the town of Sodo in Ethiopia; that the center will have the capacity to process over 25,000 tons of castor plant fruit; that the total cost of the center is estimated at $250,000; that the completion of the project will be finished within 60 days of the start of its implementation; that the facility will have the storage facility to hold 3,000 tons of seed and 450 tons of castor plant fruit per day; and that GEE intends to conduct studies in eight experimental sites simulating a variety of conditions.
Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others: (i) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with biofuels and alternative fuel sources; (ii) potential environmental liabilities, weather, mechanical failures, safety concerns, labor problems and financing problems; (iii) changes in economic conditions, adverse exchange rates and financial markets; (iv) the risk that we are not able to execute our business plan, such as entering agreements with strategic partners, leasing land, obtaining loans, etc; (v) the inability to retain key employees; (vi) changes in energy prices and the high cost of alternative fuels; (vii) Global Energy’s inability to finance its operations or growth; (viii) the inability to obtain all necessary government, environmental and regulatory approvals; (ix) an increase in competition in the biofuel and alternative fuel market; and (x) the possibility that our technology does not work as well as expected. Investors should consider all of these risks and should also refer to the risk factors disclosed on the SEC filings of Global Energy.
11 thoughts on “5000 hectares of castor seeds sown to produce oil”
A couple of days ago I heard on VOA they are planting Jathropa curaco in the Tigray region a plant which is enviornmental friendly, needs very little water and can grow in a debiltated land. One of the advantage other than the bio fuel extracted is the byproduct. To produce a biofuel one must not use a fertile land that can produce food for local consumption. The southern part of ethiopia is very fertile, allocation of large land for the production of castor oil while the counntry is begging for food shows you how the Woyannes are interested only selling the country for big corporation for hard currency rather than to benefit the people of Ethiopia.
Dear Elias,
You don’t have to prove it – it is proven.
Due to business interest, I had the privelage to work on a research project of “Food Aid to Ethiopia” for a private company in 1995/96 and I was shocked to learn how the Food Aid industry in Africa was complex and corrupt.
The food shortage in Ethiopia is difinately man made. For the last 35 years the world has been telling dictator Mengistu and now Melese – the solution to the ongoing famine. The WFP, scholars, internatinaly recognized universities, Researchers including our own Prof. Mesfin w/M have been saying: the two core solutions are Poltical Freedom and Land Reform.
For the reason we know the two dictators refused to listen! because if they listen for those 2 advises & implement them then they will lose control. End of story.
Today – Famine is a very huge business whose stake holders are diversfied dramatically. From the PM office to the bottom distribution clerk, Top NGO officials, Brokers, Shipping Agency, Donor Repersentatives and decision makers etc—they are all implicated.
Food Aid is not only bringing cronic dependency but also subsidizing the local economy in a very destructive way.
Dear Elias and ER readers,
Man made famine? You bet it is! Ethiopia is not a country that should go hungry regardless of the climatic conditions. Ethiopia is endowed with many rivers and streams, lash greenary and fertile land especially in the Gambella areas. Instead of being used as cannon foders for the Weyane Crime Family, if the Ethiopian youth were made to work the land like our Eritrean cousins are doing, hunger would have been a thing of the past. Look what Eritrea is doing with very limited resources and no rivers to speak of. But, they are lucky, in my opinion, that they have a visionary government. You know, when I watch EriTV, the government is always saying the right thing about the relationship of Ethiopia and Eritrea. I hope we take their benevolence and work with them, not only to get rid of the pests that we have now, but for long time beneficial relationship with our brothers and sisters in the north. That is the smart way to deal if we claim we care about Ethiopia.
Regardless of what weyane and its damn sympetizers say, the major causes for famine, corruption, lack of democracy, lack of education, lack of instablity…and any lack of lack cause is WEYANE…..nothing else…forget the weyane poor propaganda against any issue while the major obstacle for every production in ethiopia is weyane….so no need to explain in more words that weyane is the cause of all the problems in ethiopia…..
Death to weyane members and supporters!
Woyane is doing all his best to starve the Ethiopian people. All what he needs is flowers , castor and foreign exchange to buy arms for his Agazi and eliminate his enemies
Everytime a new foreign company comes to Ethiopia to invest, I see the number of jobs that are going to open, and the number of families that are going to benefit from the project(s). These days, every dollar that comes to the house has a big impact in the life of the family and its neighbors.
Thanks,
Taye
ሰው የሚበላው ምግብ በጠፋበት አገር ለመኪና የሚበላ ነዳጅ ለማምረት ይሄን ያህል መሬት ማረስ
ያሳስባል አልፎ ተርፎም ያሳዝናል
Dear Arat Kilo; Your analysis is on point but there remains one question to be asked, why would the the NGOs and “donor represetatives” be so interested in keeping the Ethiopian people hungry? Yes there are corrupt, incompetent and ultimately dicatatorial regimes who are benefiting from the aid scheme, had these incompetent regimes been left to their own devices they would fall in a short time. In my view the powers that keep perpetuating these regimes are those who call themselves “donors”. Time for the Ethiopian people to wake up and take charge of their own affairs and stop becoming the sick child of the west.
Given that the country is in deep poverty, what is wrong in doing business. Most people agree that the government did not do enough. Better to encourage investment and get hard currencies ( which eventually help boost our economy) than stick to teff and dinich and then stack with little or no progress. We should see some alternatives, but economically feasible investments rather than doing the same stuff over and over again. The country will never grow if we choose and devote our resources to make the country self-dependent on food, which was ironically tried by Meles and failed like Berlin wall.
This all shows that you are ignorant of the agricultural activities; which land is being used for what and so on!!
It is ironic that the castor plant is being cultivated in Wolayita Soddo region where reportedly thousands of children are malnourished and may be dying now. The region is so heavily populated that one can hardly differentiate the urban from the rural. If the project is along the Omo river basin, it had rather be used for the production of edible plants, already familiar to the area such as boyna, boye, corn, soya, fruits and vegetables. The region is also reknown for its production of cash crops such as babana and cotton since Haile Selassie’s time. We(a team of tourists) observed the region a few months ago. It is totally abandoned, infested with shrubry and crocodiles.
I agree with Arat Kilo that African food crisis is a result of a global conspiracy that should be condemned like terrorism.