Eni has launched its“rubber seed collection campaign for 2024” in the South African country of Côte d’Ivoire. This project involves thousands of small local producers and has as its main objective the production of biofuels.
Rubber seed collection in Côte d’Ivoire
The non-food vegetable oil obtained from these seeds will be sent to Enilive’s biorefineries for the production of biofuels. The launch of the campaign was celebrated with a ceremony in Yamoussoukro, where prominent figures such as Michel Koblavi-Dibi, president of the Federation of Hevea Producers(FPH-CI), Charles Emmanuel Yace, chairman of the Board of Directors of APROMAC, and M. Luca Faccenda, the general manager of Eni Ivory Coast, were present.
Rubber seeds, once considered unused residues of the Hevea brasiliensis tree, are now a socioeconomic development opportunity for local producers. Since July 2023, the Federation of Hevea Producers(FPH-CI) of Côte d’Ivoire has collaborated with Eni to supply these seeds, which are processed in local facilities to extract vegetable oil for industrial purposes and biomass for power generation.
This effort is part of Eni’s decarbonization strategy and aligns with its vertically integrated agricultural commodity business model, as well as Côte d’Ivoire’s national development plans. The company has been working since 2015 on various initiatives ranging from” hydrocarbon production to the production of vegetable oil for biorefining“, including projects that improve access to health, education and training, thus contributing to the economic, social and energy development of Côte d’Ivoire.
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Source and photo: Eni