Liberia

Operations and Plans

Agri Green Energy's project will produce High Quality Cassava Flour, bioethanol, Fertilizer, and electricity from biomass, initially using cassava and secondarily sweet sorghum as the main feed-stocks. Increased investment in Cassava Value Chain is one of the surest ways of improving livelihood through jobs and increased income for farmers. Greater market access through effective coordination, clustering for aggregation, technological improvements, processing dried cassava chips used for animal feed, ethanol production, paints, pharmaceuticals, sweeteners, and other high-value products. Cassava Production and Trade agreements will be signed between Agri Green Energy and the Farmers, and with community groups to build capacity on cassava production, educate, train and introduce new high-yield cassava varieties and ensure constant root supply.

The primary beneficiaries of cassava commercialization are the resource-poor smallholder farmers and the youth who will be engaged either in productive on-farm employment or in cassava-processing plants. An increase in demand for the industrial use of cassava as a raw material or for export can lead further to the emergence of a new breed of private sector participants who may take advantage of the opportunities of the market and establish production, processing, transportation and marketing enterprises. This will expand the range of stakeholders (producers, small- and medium-scale processors, fabricators, traders, consumers, national institutions and the government, and private sector agribusiness entrepreneurs) gainfully employed in different cassava-related activities. Additional activities will generate income for many who would otherwise be underemployed or unemployed. An increase in industrial activities and trade in the rural areas thus translates into the creation of local employment opportunities, a reduced exodus of young people to urban areas, and improved rural and urban income, food security and livelihoods.

Why Liberia?

Pro-active Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Lands, Mines & Energy
Receptive Government for Production of the Cassava Value Chain in Liberia
A Government Initiative and Demand for Rural and Urban Electrification
Massive power needs and investment for power in Liberia
Large areas of land available for plantations
Average rainfall of 4100 mm/year or 340 mm/month
Current stable Government and investment market

Liberia - Cassava Commercialization

Agriculture is the primary livelihood opportunity for over 60% of the Liberian population and an estimated 65% of farmers cultivate cassava. However, a myriad of factors, including limited access to quality inputs, limited agricultural financing, climate change, poor agronomic practices by smallholder farmers, poor infrastructure, unstructured markets, high transportation cost due to lack of farms to market roads, bad road conditions, and weak public sector support, impede the competitiveness of Liberia's cassava sector. The cassava production is still traditionally done with very low levels of value addition or product development. Cassava is grown on flat land and is usually intercropped with maize and sometimes sweet potatoes and peppers. In addition to the improvement of local varieties widely used by producers, the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Liberia focuses on developing cassava varieties for high yields, disease resistance and root quality. CARICASS I, CARICASS II, and CARICASS III are examples of those varieties developed and already released and diffused. The access to inputs has been measured with respect to distance between farm to village or market where purchased input including seeds/cuttings are available. Ninety Eight percent (98%) of the producers do not have access to agro-chemicals and the same situation is noted for improved varieties/seeds. The current technology being used for cassava cultivation in Liberia remains largely unchanged, characterized by limited use of inputs, and traditional slash and burn shifting cultivation using broadcasting, with plowing, manual weeding and harvesting.

Agri Green Energy will introduce improved agro-processing technologies for the production of intermediate products such as high-quality flour (HQCF), starch, organic fertilizer and ethanol. With a greater demand for the crop, farmers can be encouraged to grow higher-yielding varieties and use improved agronomic and other postharvest practices.
Agri Green Energy's intervention will begin with Farmers and with community groups to build capacity on cassava production, educate, train and Introduce new high-yield cassava varieties and ensure constant root supply. This will include the youth groups who will be engaged either in productive on-farm employment or in cassava-processing plants. Agri Green Energy will establish its own cassava farms that will ensure that cassava seeds-stems are available for farmers at all time.
Apart from the local varieties widely used by cassava producers, the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) is focused on developing cassava varieties for high yields, disease resistance and root quality. CARICASS I, CARICASS II, and CARICASS III are examples of those varieties already been released. Agri Green Energy will work with the Central Agriculture Research Institute to provide its high yield cassava varieties seed/ stem for seed multiplication on Agri green Energy's own farms from which they can be distributed to farmers in various counties around the country.
Agri Green Energy will source cassava directly from Farmers and Farmer Cooperatives (outsourced) as well develop our own plantations. Fresh cassava will be collected and pre-treated at various locations in the farmer region, transported to the refinery and stored ready for production. The company will adopt a "hub and spoke" organization in cooperation with regional authorities deploying pre-treatment equipment in various locations to process fresh cassava prior to delivery to the refinery. Feedstock from the company's own plantation will supply either fresh cassava to the process or undergo treatment for storage as per feedstock collected from farmers.

Agri Green Energy will contracts with 45 distributors/farm co-ops for the source of the majority of cassava feedstock directly from Farmers and Farmer Cooperatives. Fresh cassava will be collected and pre-treated (dried chips) at various locations in cassava farm regions, transported to the Agri Green Energy's ethanol refinery and stored ready for production. The company will adopt a "hub and spoke" organization in cooperation with regional authorities deploying pre-treatment equipment in various locations to process fresh cassava prior for delivery to the refinery. Feedstock from the company's own plantations will supply fresh cassava to the ethanol production process or undergo treatment for storage.

In order to reduce transport costs and tenable easier access to farmers, Agri Green Energy intends to create satellite feedstock collection and drying points to collect fresh cassava from collection point catchment areas, dry the cassava and transport it to the central refining facility
Agri Green Energy will sign 45 supply agreements with Cooperatives and Farmers to supply production requirements of the Bioethanol refinery. The supply of cassava will increase as the production increases and the farming community will be offered technical assistance to increase productivity, given the assured markets.
Agri Green Energy also plans to supplement the supply of cassava from in house production creating additional capacity for cassava supply and agriculture related jobs. It is Agri Green Energy's intention to create an organized market for cassava starch in the region, developing markets for cassava based products that go beyond ethanol refining, thus providing market opportunities to all growers dealing with Agri green Energy.

Agri Green Energy will identify potential markets for HQCF and will provide business and technical support to make case for HQCF and other product adoption and strives to develop a vibrant and competitive cassava industry (HQCF, Starch, Ethanol and Electricity) based on market-led efficient production and processing, leading to a reduction in rural poverty. Ethanol Energy Solution WHY ETHANOL.

PRODUCTION IN LIBERIA
WHY ETHANOL PRODUCTION IN LIBERIA

Ethanol is a domestically produced, agriculturally based fuel.
Ethanol helps improve your car's performance, reduce reliance on oil, and can help reduce the cost of powering your vehicle.
Ethanol is good for Liberia's economy.
Ethanol fuel production supports farmers and has created thousands of domestic jobs. It will reduce Liberia's dependence on foreign oil and its increasing use brings our nation closer to energy independence.
Ethanol is much gentler on the environment than petroleum fuels. It produces fewer carbon emissions as well as lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide).
Liberians and other nationals import vehicles made in the United States of America. All models of vehicles sold in the United States can use E10, but only light-duty vehicles with a model year 2001 or newer can use gasoline blends higher than E10 unless the vehicle is a flexible-fuel (flex-fuel) vehicle. Flex-fuel vehicles can run on any mixture of ethanol and gasoline up to E85.

Around 95% of petrol-powered vehicles on the road are compatible with E10 petrol and this figure is increasing all the time. All new cars manufactured since 2011 are compatible with E10 petrol, and most cars and motorcycles manufactured since the late 1990s are also approved by manufacturers to use E10. These markets are growing in both urban and rural populations in emerging countries contributing to economic and environmental development

Facts