VOA常速英语2007年-Africa Looks Toward Biofuels Amid Doubts Over Y

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
29 November 2007

African government officials, economists² and scientists have met for three days in Burkina Faso to discuss the local production and use of biofuels.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

An official with the Economic Community of West African States, Thierno Bocar Fall, cannot contain his enthusiasm while talking about one bio-fuel project in Ghana.

"We are financing a project in Ghana in biofuel," he said.  "In five to 10 years we will have one million hectares.  Ghana will produce 600,000 tons.  It is around 80 percent of the importation of their diesel³.  [Can] you evaluate the money that Ghana can save?  How many billions?"

Charles Jumbe, from Malawi's Center for Agricultural Research and Development, says this is one economic revolution Africa cannot afford to miss.

"In Europe and America, the push for bio-fuel is rife," he noted⁴.  "We cannot sit back and watch.  We need to act.  We have huge resources in terms of land and water that can provide adequate biofuels for the next generation.  All we need is to have our national governments get prepared, and prepare the proper policies and strategies."

Another point the experts and officials agree on, including ECOWAS's Fall, is to protect the food-producing agricultural sector⁵.

"The good land is for agriculture," he said.  "We have to know that.  The degraded land can be used for biofuel and to plant trees like jatropha, to develop that."

Andre Croppenstedt, with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, who has been on trips to Africa to study these prospects⁶, offered a more sober perspective.

Jatropha, a shrub⁷ used for decades in Africa as a natural fence between crops, has been hyped in the media as a biofuel, but he says it is too early to tell.

"From what I have heard there was very little knowledge about jatropha in terms of the behavior of the plant, the plantation⁸ level and so on, how the pests respond, [and] if you grow it at scale," he explained.  "So the people we talked to who were actually into jatropha gave us the impression that they were going down this road, they were seeing an opportunity, but they themselves were not quite sure of what the yields would be like."

Experts at the conference agreed Africa has been looking more at a small-scale production of biofuel.

Croppenstedt says there are other options besides jatropha, which may be more economically viable⁹.

"Palm oil, I think in Central Africa, there is some discussion of that," he added.  "In West Africa, depending on the country, I have heard of people looking at cassava in the case of Benin, I think [also] sugar cane¹⁰.  I think the issue then would be what is commercially viable and probably if you are looking at it now, sugar cane is the one that makes the most sense, where people are willing to put their money for ethanol."

And the U.N. economist¹ says he believes refining biofuels will be much easier and cheaper than for other energy products.

"I understand that with biodiesel for example, it is fairly straightforward¹¹, relatively¹² low investment costs, and a lot of simple machines can either run on straight vegetable oil, pure vegetable oil or biodiesel," he noted.

He says if proper investment is put in place, biofuels could soon be produced and used locally in Africa for powering generators¹³, small appliances and also for rural electricity plans.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

7 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

8 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

9 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

10 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

11 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》