Japanese company to invest in Cambodia for bio-diesel

July 20, 2007

A Japanese company will invest 800 million U.S. dollars in Cambodia to plant castor bean and refine castor oil into bio-diesel, company source said here on Friday.

The Biwako Bio-Laboratory Co., Ltd. from Japan will plant castor bean on 48,000 hectares of land in Kompong Speu and Kompong Cham provinces and then establish a factory to refine castor oil into bio-diesel which is expected to replace gasoline, said Mitsuo Hayashi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.

"Now we are waiting for the result of the oil sample test in the laboratory in Japan. We want to know what kind of seeds will be planted to provide high turnouts," he said.

Some 48,000 hectares of castor plants will yield 100,000 tons of castor oil annually and 40,000 tons of bio-diesel after refinery, he said.

The company needs 500,000 hectares of land for the project in 20 years and the Cambodian government is now helping to find land, he added.

Mitsuo is among the 30 representatives of the Japanese delegation currently on visit to Cambodia. Kozo Yamamoto, Deputy Minister of Economy of Japan, leads the team to find investment opportunities here.

Japan is the largest donor country for Cambodia but has little investment in the kingdom.

Source: Xinhua

Castor oil: The next grease for the economic engine, or the new grime for land-grabbing?

February 13th 2007
Cambodia Hoping Castor Oil Will Grease Its Economic Engine

DPA

Cambodian officials Tuesday said they were aiming for a sweet financial future fuelled by castor oil, after negotiating with a Singaporean company to establish significant castor seed plantations in central Cambodia.

Chay Sareth, governor of central Pursat Province, said his cabinet had reached agreement with Van der Horst Jatropha Oil Plantation Pty Ltd, which would provide local people with seeds and technical training before buying back the resulting crop "at a fair price."

How much land would be put under castor oil production was dependent on how well the plant performed in Cambodian conditions, but initial estimates indicated at least 1,000 hectares would be dedicated to the endeavour, he said.

"We are looking at this as a way to boost employment," Sareth said. "But we have not yet signed a final contract."

Some analysts have predicted a continued rise in world demand for the oil as a bio-diesel fuel source.

India currently supplies more than 85 per cent of world demand, but markets are expecting a shortfall after Indian farmers began to shift to cotton production instead.

There may also be an exciting medical future ahead for "jatropha curcas." Various parts of the plant are currently being medically tested for a range of uses including as a treatment for diseases ranging from malaria to fevers and even tumors.

Experts say mature plants can be expected to produce nearly 2,000 litres of oil per hectare per year.

Singaporean company invests castor oil plantation in Cambodia

February 13, 2007

The government of Cambodia's Pursat province has sign an agreement with a Singaporean company to invest a castor oil plantation there, a government official said on Monday.

Chay Sareth, governor of Pursat province and Peter Cheng, representative of Vander Horst Jatropha oil plantation PTE Ltd. of Singapore, signed the agreement at the provincial hall on Feb. 7, Pich Horn, deputy governor of Pursat province told Xinhua by phone.

The Singaporean company will provide local people with the seeds and technique for planting Jatropha Curcas, a kind of plant which can be refined into castor oil, and they will buy it back in appropriate price, Pich Horn said.

This investment will help local people to get jobs and promote economic development of the country, he said.

Peter Cheng told the governor that his company also plans to build a factory to refine the castor oil in this province for exporting and local use, he added.

Peter Cheng said that his company, which has a big factory in Singapore, has invested to plant the Jatropha Curcas in many Asian countries, such as Indonesia, India, Burma, Laos and Vietnam, Pich Horn said.

Source: Xinhua