São Paulo – Sudan wants to increase its ethanol and sugar output. For such, it is seeking partnerships with Brazilian companies. The information was supplied by the Sudanese ambassador to Brasília, Abd Elghani Elnaim Awad Elkarim, who visited the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in São Paulo, this Wednesday (4th).
“We are interested in manufacturing more ethanol, and we would like to have partnerships with Brazilian enterprises, so that we may use their technology and attain an increase in output,” Elkarim told ANBA. “We are hoping that Brazilian companies will join us to boost our ethanol production,” he said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the ambassador attended meetings with Brazilian agribusiness companies and with representatives of the Sugarcane Industry Union (Unica). At the meeting in the Unica headquarters, in São Paulo, the ambassador was accompanied by the Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO Michel Alaby.
“Preparations are underway for Brazilian ethanol companies to go to Sudan,” Elkarim said, without disclosing the names of the companies he spoke with.
Kenana Sugar Company is the leading sugar and ethanol manufacturing company in the African country. In the 2011/2012 crop, the company made 32.75 million litres, which represents the near-totality of the fuel’s production in Sudan. Of those, 12.8 million were exported.
In his trip to São Paulo, Elkarim is promoting some of Kenana’s projects which encompass infrastructure, as well as sugar and ethanol production. Kenana already operates with Brazilian technology supplied by the São Paulo-based company Dedini.
Two months ago, a new company, the White Nile Sugar Company, emerged in the Sudanese industry. The enterprise has a forecasted capacity to produce 450,000 tonnes of sugar a year, as well as 104 megawatts of electricity. Its ethanol plant is still in the planning stage.
Apart from plans to make more fuel, Sudan has a strong need to increase its sugar output. “Sudan consumes 1.2 million tonne of sugar each year, and produces 750,000 tonnes. There is a sizeable gap between supply and consumption,” says the ambassador.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
