BY BRENNA MATENDERE/ TERRY MADYAUTA

In an interview with NewsDay Business yesterday, Castor Oil Zimbabwe chief executive Careen Yosef said the conglomerate was willing to support more farmers in the country who were willing to specialise in engineered castor beans production.

“We are encouraging farmers from across the board to take up this income-generating plant. As you might know, castor bean can be used in the production of cosmetics, but most importantly, it can be used in the generation of fuel,” he said.

To date, an estimated 150 local commercial farmers are producing the engineered castor bean which comes from Israel.

The engineered castor bean is one of the accepted biomasses which have been taken up by farmers in Europe and some parts of Africa as a renewable fuel.

Currently, the demand for diesel in the country is higher than that of petrol, averaging around three million litres per day, while petrol averages two million litres per day.

Yosef believes if the castor bean farming is taken up, the plant can be used in generating diesel, a development that will augment existing sources.

Yosef revealed that castor bean takes at least four months from germination to harvesting, which makes brisk business for farmers specialising in growing it as they will rake in income three times a year.

Castor Oil has already set up a processing plant in Marondera, where they produce bio-diesel from the castor bean and hope to scale up production if more farmers start growing the crop.

Meanwhile, the company has employed a unique strategy to excite farmers into castor beans growing.

The firm has lately been sponsoring a Miss Rural Africa modelling pageant, which is meant to encourage rural women to get involved in the production of the engineered castor bean.