By Luke Anami
The capacity of sugar factories and ethanol distillers in Kenya are more than adequate to meet the local demand and for the export.
However, the process will have to await a privatisation programme for debt-strapped sugar companies of Muhoroni, Sony, Chemelil, Nzoia and Miwani. Lack of research in biofuels is another hurdle. Even though sugar producing areas have high ethanol potential, switching of land from food production to energy crops requires introduction of higher yielding crops so as not to endanger food security.
In South Africa, it is illegal to use maize for ethanol production. In some instances where a product (like sugar) is produced in excess, it is acceptable to export the sugar or make alcohol from sugar juice. Power alcohol was introduced in Kenya as a fuel blend for gasoline in 1983. However, due to higher cost of production compared to petrol, its use was discontinued in 1993.
market prices
At the time, the Agro Chemical and Food Company, with Government help, would obtain molasses, the feedstock from State-owned sugar factories, at prices that in most cases were below market rates.
This arrangement provided additional subsidy to power alcohol and was therefore unsustainable. To bring the power alcohol-petrol blend (gasohol) to the same retail price level as super grade petrol, the Government reduced the tariff on the gasohol.
Even with this subsidy, the production of gasohol was still not viable. The challenge is, therefore, to make domestic production of power alcohol competitive with motor gasoline to facilitate its re-introduction as a motor fuel blend.
Moreover, technology required to produce ethanol need to be enhanced through investment in training.
