Valorising biomass for sustainable fuel, fertilizer, feed and food
INTRODUCING 10 INNOVATIVE BIOBASED PRODUCTS IN UGANDA USING DUTCH TECHNOLOGY:
- Fuel made from grasses and bio-waste as an alternative to charcoal
- Nutritious animal feed at a competitive price level
- High-yield 100% natural fertilizer
- Innovative plant-based protein products for a healthy human diet
NL-UG COLLABORATION WITH A POSITIVE IMPACT
Deforestation, malnutrition and poor livestock management are big risks for Uganda. A group of Dutch companies aim to use cutting-edge biotechnology developed in The Netherlands to tackle these issues.
Uganda promises to be an excellentmarket for Dutch biotech. There is apressing need for a healthy, forest andpocket-friendly alternative to charcoal; abig gap in the market for more efficientanimal feed and fertilizer; and amalnourished population that issentenced to animal protein sources ofquestionable quality and deficient shelflife. Uganda is also a very fertile countryrich in green waste and other biomass.
A consortium of Dutch companies,including The Green Elephant, Grassa!,It’s Greenish, Mimi Moto and HealthyEntrepreneurs, aim to maximise thevalue of Uganda’s biomass usinginnovative biotechnologies andproduction methods. Their lessons andexperiences will be passed on to Ugandathrough a Centre of Excellence.
The cooking fuel of choice in Uganda is charcoal. Roughly 85%of all households uses charcoal daily, even though it causesdeforestation, household air pollution and CO2-emmission.Regarding animal feed, the most used product (next to grass) isfishmeal and soy. Due to undernutrition, Ugandan cattle doesnot nearly produce as much dairy and meat as possible. Evenworse, malnutrition is a pressing issue for the Ugandanpopulation as well. The protein content of the national diet is atthe bottom end of what the FAO recommends. The averageUgandan would eat more meat if he could afford it, eventhough much meat is of questionable quality, has lownutritional value and deficient shelf life.
Using innovative biorefinery techniques the Dutch companiesaim to offer Uganda affordable and sustainable solutions to allthe issues mentioned above, all the while building strongcommercial ties with their Ugandan partners.
UGANDAN COMPANIES
The group of Dutch companies works in close collaborationwith Ugandan counterparts. The latter group in the capacityof suppliers, buyers and learning partners. Sharing knowledgeabout valorising different types of biomass is one of the keyfeatures of the intended Centre of Excellence. The followingUgandan companies and organisations are partners:
- Xclusive Farms: outgrower, green waste supplier
- KRC: feed tester, learning partner
- NaLirri: feed, fertilizer tester, product developer
- Bail: feed, fertilizer distributor
- Sesaco: food ingredient supplier, distributor
- East Africa Basic Foods: food ingredient supplier
- Fresh Cuts: food producer
- Mr. Tasty: food buyer, distributor
- Capitol Shoppers: food distributor
10 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS
Fuels:
- Briquettes for industrial power
- Pellets for use in consumer cookstoves
- Fuel from green farm waste
- Central heating plants
Feed and fertizizer:
- Feedblocks
- Fodder
- Liquid Feed
- Fertilizer
Food:
- Plant-protein meat substitutes
- High-protein easy to use foodstuffs for refugee-camps
About the consortium
The Uganda Centre of Excellence for the valorisation ofbiomass is an initiative by Dutch companies The GreenElephant, Grassa!, It’s Greenish, Mimi Moto and HealthyEntrepreneurs, supported by the Dutch foundation forsustainable business MVO Nederland (CSR Netherlands)and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The consortium was formed in December 2017 and plansto establish the CoE in 2018-2021, after which it will beself-sustainable.
More information
Want to know more about theopportunities for valorising biomass in Uganda?
Get in contact:
Frans Tilstra
Sustainable business developer
T: +31 06 42216191
f.tilstra@mvonederland.nl
