Tag Archives: opening
Biofuel Plant Will Be Boon For Arable And Livestock Sectors
By Andrew Arbuckle Published on 09/07/2013 00:00 The official opening of the massive bioethanol Vivergo refinery on Humberside yesterday was welcomed by the English NFU not only for its planned annual consumption of more than one million tonnes of wheat but also for providing half a million tonnes of animal feed. The Vivergo company was set up six years ago by AB Sugar, the petroleum company BP and the chemical giant Du Pont. Since then some £350 million has been spent on creating the plant on the 25 acre site which will, at full production, produce some 420 million litres of bioethanol annually. The union said the refinery would not only provide an alternative to fossil fuels through its production of bioethanol but would also reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of soya from the Americas. A spokesman said the opening of the facility would come as a relief to both the arable and livestock sectors following a difficult 12 months, which saw a below average harvest, the temporary mothballing of an ethanol plant by Ensus and high animal feed prices as a result of the poor weather across the country. NFU combinable crops board member Brett Askew said: “It’s a boost to farmers to hear that Vivergo will be maximising their potential capacity in the run up to harvest. “The industry’s troubles have been well documented over the past year and the latest noises emerging from Brussels on common agricultural policy reform have done little to lighten the mood. “Multiple markets for our produce allows individual farmers the certainty we need to do what we do best and produce to satisfy market demand for food, feed and fuel. We have a responsibility to help drive a sustainable increase in production and the biofuels market can play a role in delivering the necessary economic certainty that will help us all achieve this.” But he added that policy makers had to take a really close look at the enormous benefits collaboration between the agricultural industry and biofuels sector could deliver. He hoped they would then provide the consistency in policy making that would allow farmers to not only sustainably feed the country but also to contribute towards a changing energy sector. ANDREW ARBUCKLE Continue reading
Ukraine Poised For Global Ag Role
CHERYL TEVIS 06/11/2013 @ 7:22am Today’s announcement of the opening of DuPont Pioneer’s seed production facility in Stasi, Dykanka region, Poltava oblast, Ukraine, signals the region’s expanding stature as a growing agricultural economy and an emerging player in global food security. The $40 million investment will support the increasing demand for Pioneer brand maize, sunflower, and oilseed rape hybrids in Ukraine. Pioneer sales revenue in Ukraine has risen by 30% compounded annually between 2006 and 2011. Maize and sunflower unit volume sales have doubled in the same period. “Surely there is a deficit of quality seeds in Ukraine,” says Iurii Mykhailov, an ag economist who lives in Kiev, Ukraine. But he says that the DuPont Pioneer facility joins several other companies, including Syngenta, Monsanto, France’s Euralis, Germany’s KWS, and Maisadour, a French cooperative. Ukrainian companies Mais, Swargo, and West Trading Group also have their own seed plants. Mykhailov says that the Ukrainian infrastructure may require ramping up. He pegs the estimated production of corn in 2013/14 at about 22 million tons. “The current throughput of the Ukrainian grain export terminals is 40 million tons per annum,” he says. “The total storage capacity of elevators is 35 million tons. The new storage and export capacities must be doubled to accommodate the growing production.” He says corn is in demand since it’s used as a substitute for weather-damaged winter wheat crops. Ukraine currently exports about two-thirds of its corn. “There’s no sufficient demand for feed in Ukraine,” Mykhailov says. “The new seed facilities will help to improve the seed quality that in turn will help increase exports. Ukrainian corn is welcome in the Middle East and North African countries.” Mykhailov says that technological improvements also will play a critical role in Ukraine’s goal to double its grain production. “The main improvement can be achieved by increasing fertilizer usage, irrigation in the southern regions, and adequate machinery,” he says. He adds that other foreign countries are exploring the potential for investment, including Libya and China: China has invested in increasing Ukraine’s grain storage capacity. Continue reading
