Services for the benefit of Dutch-Colombian government cooperation in the field of biomass

Colombia is 4th producer of palm oil in the world, and 12th producer of sugarcane, with a planted area of over 400,000 hectares of palm oil and over 450,000 hectares of sugarcane. The demand for bio-based products as chemicals, feedstock for power & heat or biofuels, is increasing worldwide.

However, it is important to develop the sector in a sustainable manner, valorising all available components, optimizing the production of biomass, minimizing environmental impact and closing the nutrient cycles. In order to bring about the sustainable development of the biomass sector, capacities need to be strengthened (in both, the public and the private sector) and suitable policies and regulations need to be developed. This goal needs to be realized in a step by step approach and by fine-tuning the interests of research institutes and private sector.

However, the government has expressed the need to cooperate on the further development of policies and actions on sustainable valorisation of (residual) biomass in general, in a broader environmental and sustainability legislation and renewable energy policy.

The Ministry of Agriculture has asked the Dutch government to start cooperation in the field of biomass. The aim of this G2G project, carried out by GMSP B.V., is to support the Colombian Government by direct cooperation with the Colombian Ministério de Agricultura y Desarollo Rural (MADR) and involve, where needed, other relevant governmental bodies and identified non-governmental stakeholders in the development of capacity building to draft sustainable biomass policies, practices and instruments. The project will focus on palm oil and sugarcane, due to the huge volumes of residual biomass and their further valorisation potential.