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Ecoenergy Investments (http://www.ecoenergyinvestments.com) is the exclusive global license holder of specialised canola and mustard seed varieties.
The licenses and agreements are designed to initiate seed breeding programmes and to allow the company to acquire elite seed crop varieties. The agreement covers a broad research and development programme over the next five years coupled with worldwide licensing rights. It is envisaged that these energy specific crop varieties will produce more revenue per hectare than other similar bio-fuel sources, and therefore will be highly attractive to farming communities on a global basis.
Professor: Plant Soil and Entomological Sciences Department, University of Idaho,Moscow, ID 83844-2339. July 2004 to present. Associate Professor: Plant Soil and Entomological Sciences Department, Universityof Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2339. July 1997 to June 2004. Assistant Professor: Plant Soil and Entomological Sciences Department, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2339. February 1992 to June 1997. Senior Scientist: ESCAgenetics Corporation San Carlos, CA. April 1988 to January 1992. Higher Scientific Officer: Scottish Crop Research Institute, Mylnfield, Dundee, Scotland. January 1981 to March 1988. Scientific Officer: Scottish Plant Breeding Station, Pentlandfield, Midlothian, Scotland. April 1977 to December 1980.
Research: This breeding program has released and commercialised three winter canola cultivars, three spring canola cultivars (one with herbicide, Beyond® resistance), three spring rapeseed cultivars (one with herbicide, Beyond® resistance), one condiment yellow mustard cultivar, one oriental mustard cultivar and one brown (Dijon) mustard cultivar. Until the release of these cultivars there were no spring rapeseed, yellow mustard, oriental mustard, nor brown mustard grown in the region as farmers did not have access to adapted cultivars. In the past five years, winter and spring canola, spring rapeseed, yellow mustard and oriental mustard have risen dramatically as a result of these releases. The first ever Sinapis alba germplasm has been developed with industrial-oil qualities and with canola-oil qualities and with high livestock feed value. The first intergeneric hybridisation has been achieved between S. alba and B. napus, and between S. alba and B. juncea have been developed. The program has graduated 6 graduate students all of who are in full-time employment with Universities, government agencies or commercial companies. Two of these graduates are employed as County Extension agents in the Pacific northwest.
Since 2001, Jean Benoît has been Managing Director of Green Fingers Services Sarl, a consulting firm for the agro-industry.
From the beginning of 2004—April 2007 Jean Benoît was Director of Literas & Sarazin S.A. and its subsidiary Laboulet de Argentina SA—an agriculture Import and Export company and a Seed company.
From 1994—2000 Jean Benoît was Officer in charge, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO—a United Nations technical agency based in Vienna, Austria.
From 1986—1993 Jean Benoît was manager within Bonduelle group—a frozen and canned vegetables world market leader.
ECO ENERGY INVESTMENTS Subsidiaries:
1. ECO-Energy Investments Paraguay SAECA
ECO-Energy Investments Paraguay SAECA (http://www.eco-energy.com.py) was founded with the objective to promote the production of non-food oil seeds as raw material for bio-fuels in Paraguay and the region.
We have started oil seed trials in the region to determine the most suitable varieties for the climate and soil. This is being done in collaboration with Prof. Jack Brown at the University of Idaho. Our trials have been done with different species of brassica in Jujuy (northwest Argentina), in Loma Plata (Paraguayan Chaco) and in Naranjal (Eastern Paraguay). We have done further trials using jatropha in Horqueta (northeast Paraguay.)
We will be establishing nurseries to propagate our own certified seeds of the suitable varieties for widespread cultivation. Thereafter, interested agricultural cooperatives and farmers will be contracted to grow our oil seeds, with our own agronomists providing technical assistance and back-up to the farmers. Under contract, we will buy back the harvest, and will use decentralized oil mills to process our seeds into oil and meal.
We have already established contacts locally and abroad for processing the oil seeds and for the future commercialization of the oils and meal.
We have concluded our spring/summer 2007 oil seed trials in Romania and will be evaluating the results in collaboration with Prof. Jack Brown at the University of Idaho. Our winter 2007/2008 trials are underway.
We have already established contacts locally and abroad for processing the oil seeds and for the future commercialization of the oils and meal.
