Havana, July 18, (RHC), -- Cuba opened on Monday its first bio-diesel factory designed to turn the oil-rich jatropha seeds into green fuel.

The small factory, funded by the Cuban government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, will produce more than 100 tonnes of biofuel a year.

José Sotolongo director of the Center for Applied Technology for Sustainable Development in the eastern province of Guantanamo, where the factory is located, said the first few litres of fuel have already been used successfully to run agricultural machinery in the area.

The biofuel made from the jatropha seeds instead of edible vegetable oils, not only complies with Cuba’s policy of avoiding food materials in the production of biodiesel, but also is highly beneficial as the jatropha plant needs little water and can be "cultivated in areas of little or no agricultural value

In Guantanamo, 130 hectares of jatropha have been planted to ensure enough raw materials available for the plant to operate at full capacity.

The island nation has already used sugarcane and forest biomass to produce electricity. / IANS

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