Sweet Sorghum

Our project’s approach will employ a high-yielding, proprietary variety of the powerful energy plant sweet sorghum (S. bicolor (L.) Moench) developed by BEASI’s collaborating scientist and sweet sorghum breeder from ICRISAT, India, as an input feedstock to produce a suite of highly efficient and ecologically sustainable green energy products and food.

BEASI selected sweet sorghum because it is a multi-purpose, high-energy crop. It produces a highly nutritious, gluten-free grain cob, which can be ground into flour and used for making bread, beer, animal feed, or several other food products. Sorghum bran contains more healthy anti-oxidants than other well-known anti-oxidant sources. It also produces a high sugar content cane which is ideally suited to the production of biofuels and green electricity.

Waste remaining after the cane can been pressed and used to produce paper pulp, other natural sweeteners, green electricity, renewable building materials, and fiber for clothing, among other products.

Additionally, sweet sorghum has a great tolerance to a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. However, to achieve this potential in Cameroon, BEASI will develop agronomic and cultural practices suited to local conditions.

In comparison to other energy crops for the production of bio-ethanol, such as sugar cane, sweet sorghum has a shorter growing period of approximately four months and lower requirements in fertilizer and in water, depending always on the variety of sweet sorghum and the climate zone.