Brazilian President Promises Pope Help with Ethanol in Africa
Yesterday, Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Pope Benedict XVI that Brazil will help Africa develop biofuels.
Brazil is Pope Benedict arrived on Wednesday in Brazil, a world leader in developing ethanol from sugarcane.
Lula told the Pope he wanted to help with reducing African poverty by helping countries there develop biofuels, like ethanol. Brazil’s ambassador to the Vatican, Vera Machado, said that although the Pope didn’t know much about biofuels, he certainly appreciated any action in support of Africa. Brazil currently has collaboration agreements with African crop scientists in Ghana through Brazil’s Embrapa crop-science institute.
Brazilian officials have said that it is also in the country’s economic interest to help create new ethanol-producing markets in order to expand global trade of the renewable fuel. Brazil is the world’s only major ethanol exporter.