The Zimbabwean Agriculture Ministry has banned its jatropha tree export and adopted the tree along with cassava as major development crops for the next five years, according to a local press report on Tuesday.

Joseph Made, the minister of agriculture, said on Monday his ministry would also work to increase production of sugarcane, castor bean and soy bean, as it seeks to develop crops which can be used to develop bio-fuel.

"This means that the crops, which we are calling new crops, will be developed with great vigor and a lot of energy will be put in the planting, marketing and funding of the crops," he said.

"Special emphasis will, however, be placed on jatropha because of the quantity of bio-fuel it can produce," said Made.

"In addition, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim) will become the sole buyer of the crop while the Grain Marketing Board will be involved in the distribution of the seeds because we want them to be distributed widely," said the minister.

He said although the country had conducted some useful research on jatropha, a team of agronomists and researchers would be sent to India, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for further explore the optimum capacity of the plant.

He said his ministry would begin vigorously promoting the crop next year, adding that they were already making budgetary considerations for the campaign.

Jatropha is a shrub-like tree which grows naturally in all regions of the country. Its seed have between 30 and 40 percent oil content, which has great potential in bio-diesel production.

Cassava, which has also been targeted for development, is rich in starch and ethanol. It is a high-energy plant, which is suitable for both human and animal consumption.

Source: Xinhua