Bionic Palm Ltd. Ghana, Sustainable oil & food farming

© 2009, Bionic Fuel Knowledge Partners Inc., Oswego, NY, USA04/12/23, V4.5 1

The Bionic Group (BG) has been successfully developing proprietary technology for 2nd generation synthetic fuels since 2003.Since 2008 BG is expanding into agriculture via its latest member Bionic Palm Ltd. based in Ghana. The primary focus are integrated food and energy projects in Ghana and the West African Region. That strategic goal is complemented by a number of synergetic activities to better accomplish the rigorous triple bottom line goals Bionic stands for.

Group of Companies

© 2009, Bionic Fuel Knowledge Partners Inc., Oswego, NY, USA04/12/23 2

Food crops (beans mixed with chili pepper) are planted between Jatropha double hedges

© 2009, Bionic Fuel Knowledge Partners Inc., Oswego, NY, USA

Food security Energy availability for everyone Efficiency of water management Adaptation to climate change Reclamation of eroded and

degraded soil Poverty reduction

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Bionic Palm Limited (BPL) is registered in Ghana as a 100% subsidiary of Bionic Fuel Oil Trading Ltd, Singapore (BFOT).

BPL and BFOT are core members of the Bionic Group of Companies.

BPL is well integrated in Ghana’s plant oil sector through strong local partners.

Ghana is the prime emerging economy in West Africa, politically stable with strong international ties to Europe and North America.

Ghana’s strong economic development helped attain the status of a mid income country in November 2010

Ghana offers favorable terms for foreign investment. Ghana is positioning itself successfully for its role as

“Gateway to West Africa”. At least 80% of Ghana’s arable land is currently unused.

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AgricultureWith a focus on agriforestry, integrating food crops with non-toxic Jatropha and Cocoa Bionic is building an environmentally and socially sustainable farming platform including owned plantations, managed plantations and out-grower programs based on a unique model which balances food with energy production and avoids monoculture.

AgroprocessingIn order to secure sustainability goals and product marketability Bionic will process agricultural produce locally into readily marketable raw products like crude Jatropha oil, animal feed and organic fertilizers.

Poultry and AquacultureThe inclusion of poultry and aquaculture in Bionic’s strategy is a natural consequence of the other activities expanding the value chain. Poultry and fish farming with a focus on Chicken and Tilapia is in high demand locally and globally as a key source of protein rich food replacing dwindling reserves of sea fish.

Alternative renewable energySecond generation Biofuels are a core business of the Bionic Group. Africa has an extremely high demand for affordable transportation fuels and electricity. Innovative concepts for small to medium scale fuel and electricity production from biomass, solar and wind will be introduced to the local markets by Bionic.

Logistical infrastructure for agric productsFor domestic and export sales in Africa a strong logistical capability is essential comprising of reliable transportation means and sufficient storage and loading facilities.

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Innovative Knowledge & Technology Base

Commercial Farming

Food & Fuel

Test Farming

Breeding PlatformJatropha 3.0

Agriculture Logistics

Agri Processin

g

AgricultureMarketing &

Trading

Plantation Management

Agri Services

Consulting & Support

Managed Funds for BPL Plantations

Green Finance

Third Party Green Venture

Investment

Foundation2007-2009

Phase 12009

Phase 22011

Phase 32012

Phase 42013


We believe: The ongoing food vs. fuel debate in the developed world is widely misleading,

potentially dangerous for developing countries and completely unnecessary Africa needs both, food and energy from a totally new approach to agriculture

to prosper economically, to improve local nutrition and health, to successfully reduce and finally eliminate poverty.

Sustainable soil management methods are the number one agricultural issue in Africa

Commercial agriculture businesses have to take the lead in implementing best practice sustainability standards that can be adopted by small holder programs

Current African net food imports amount to tens of billions of USD per year while the situation could be easily converted into a net export balance for agriculture and bio energy products while hunger, malnutrition and poverty are eliminated concurrently

A new concept for an African agri industry must form the basis for an unprecedented economical boom and lasting prosperity on the whole continent

Strong and responsible privately owned core businesses need to cooperate closely with governments to develop successful out-grower schemes that will offer small, independent farmers a sustainable basis to do better, what they can do best: farming

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Bionic’s business is built on standards that cannot be compromised

Environmental, social and economic sustainability Social and cultural responsibility Reversal of the climate change process through a carbon negative approach

Bionic always seeks to apply the best available practices Advanced Tropical Soil Management Maintaining a high level of biodiversity Support of locally adapted high value crops and seeds Achieve a carbon negative footprint through the use of Biochar

Bionic will always make responsible use of its resources Production of food crops has priority over the production of energy crops Jatropha to be used for erosion control, soil- and water-management Bionic implements a strict Zero-Waste-Approach

Bionic adds value through modern agri processing Bionic thrives to be a key driver in Ghana’s agricultural future

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BPL intends to become a niche player in Ghana’s palm oil industry by establishing a high tech innovative small mill concept.

The mill will be located in Ghana’s best Oil Palm region with no other active mills within 50 km.

Activating the mill will greatly reduce current needs for long distance fruit transport for many small holders.

The region has a high availability of palm fruits. Through a number of initiatives that supply will be growing strongly over the coming 5 years.

BPL considers to develop its own plantation to complement market supplies of palm fruits and reduce supply risks.

Long term objective is to source one third of fruit from company owned plantations, two thirds from local small holders.

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BPL is securing up to 5.000 ha of arable land in the Coastal Savannah of Ghana, while the actual acquisition process will be kept in sync with the foreseeable mid term project demand.

This land is well suited for rapid development of BPL’s large scale combined cash crop/Jatropha plantations.

A significant portion will be riverfront land currently incorporating a peninsula of approx. 500 ha for special purposes like nurseries and future aquaculture projects.

BPL will manage its land resources responsibly to build on their long term potential combining soil quality, climate and location.

BPL is concentrating on logistically favorable locations with good environmental properties.

BPL adds desperately needed first class agronomic practices to responsibly develop its land resources.

Bionic firmly believes, the long predicted “African Green Revolution” (Kofi Annan) has finally begun.

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BPL has teamed up with local family land owners in the Central Region to initiate a new organic Cocoa based agroforestry project.

The years 2013 and 2014 are dedicated to a large scale testing phase. Various planting patterns, soil amendments, agronomic methods and a large number of intercropping options will be tried out.

For this purpose BPL has established a cocoa nursery for up to 20,000 seedlings to be transplanted early in 2013 to a series of test fields.

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Costal savannahOil palm

Initial core region of activity



A detailed soil analysis has been conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Soil Testing Institute in August 2008


N2: Very Suitable Areas for Crop and Livestock Production

S4b: The major soils constituting the above soil association are mainly gravelly with moderately shallow to moderately deep depths to parent rock. They are suitable for limited mechanized cultivation but well suited for hand cultivation, on the contours, of such food and tree crops as millet, guinea corn, beans, mangoes and shea butter.

S4c: These soil association, mainly consist of low lying, shallow, gravelly, imperfectly to poorly drained soils… They are however, associated with substantial areas of upland deep, red to brown, well to moderately well drained, non-gravelly soils which are suitable for mechanized cultivation of maize, guinea corn, soybeans, tomatoes and yams.

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Only the shrubs are cleared, while trees remain standing.

Bulldozers and other heavyequipment are working to preparethe land for plantation use.


After plowing and harrowing the first field of approx. 15 ha is ready for Jatropha test planting.

Branches and roots are being removed. They will find future use as solid fuel and thus replace heavy oil as fuel in modern industrial boilers.



The core plantation land is very suitable for Jatropha as the main long term anchor crop for soil improvement.

Up to 60% of the land consists of typical depleted and abandoned former farm land due to unsustainable indigenous farming practices.

The remainder is grass and shrub lands not suitable for traditional farming.

Careful soil management can over time significantly increase the soils content of organic matter and nutrients as well as water storage capabilities.

Moderate dry season farming with limited irrigation will allow for up to 4 crops annually in some areas, as the water table is mostly high due to the close vicinity of the Volta River.

The high quality land on the “Bionic Peninsula” in the Volta river will be used for nurseries and serve as a test bed for new developments. The riverfront is also dedicated to a future aquaculture project.

BPL has thoroughly researched and developed advanced business plans for individually structured medium scale farming projects open to international investors who want to be at the forefront of a highly profitable African agriculture industry.

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BIONIC is strongly promoting a combined food crop/Jatropha approach.(See a detailed presentation of BPL’s innovative farming concept here: tiny.cc/bpl-model)

Jatropha hedges planted at distances between 3.5 and 10.5 meters serve as a backbone protection against further erosion of depleted soils.

Together with the Jatropha planting phase an extensive soil improvement program sets in utilizing latest research results like the application of biochar.

Careful soil management will allow for a growing range of high value food crops to be planted in between Jatropha hedges.

With limited irrigation efforts and a well planned crop rotation 3-4 crop cycles per year eventually become achievable.

For initial intercropping BPL will use maize and sunflower which will soon be complemented with local crops like sorghum, tomatoes, ground nut, water melon and many more.

BIONIC PALM is using Jatropha as a tool to bring sustainability into agriculture on otherwise non profitable low value soils.

BIONIC’s annual revenue target of min 1,500 USD/ha is relying on Jatropha oil sales at a share of max 1/3.

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Jatropha has a high market potential especially as a future raw product replacing fossil oil in innovative new fuels for the aviation industry (Biojetfuel).

Demand for Crude Jatropha Oil (CJO) will likely exceed supply significantly for many years to come.

BIONIC is actively involved in activities to use Jatropha oil as a replacement for edible oils in very interesting olio chemical applications.

Jatropha is and will remain for some time a new crop under constant investigation and development, therefore BIONIC is limiting its risk exposure with 70% food crop production.

BIONIC is taking environmental and development issues seriously. Therefore BIONIC’s strategy increases food production, avoids monoculture farming, supports biodiversity and follows a development path towards a carbon negative footprint using biochar for carbon sequestration.

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Food Crops Ghana

As a massive net importer of food products Ghana is a strong seller market for all types of agricultural produce. Most agricultural products are currently imported on a large scale. The country has the soil and climatic conditions to transform itself into a strong net crop exporter.

West AfricaSimilar to Ghana the whole West African Region (ECOWAS) is a net importer of food crops, while many neighboring countries have less favorable conditions for agriculture than Ghana.

GlobalMid term export opportunities are unlimited given the continuous global rise in demand. West Africa can be extremely competitive in future global agriculture markets due to very low cost of land and production and the very high biomass growth rate in arable tropical regions.

Non edible oils Airline Industry

A new type of aviation fuel made from non edible biomass has become a major factor in the strategies for tomorrows airline industry. According to a recent statement by a Boeing official jatropha, camelina and halophytes play a key role in the near term and algae in the long term.

OleochemicalsA whole range of today's petrochemical products is ready to be replaced by new products made from plant oils. Jatropha will become an important raw material for this completely new emerging industry.

Biofuels2nd generation biofuels can be made from Jatropha biomass, while Jatropha oil itself will probably be too valuable to be used as a simple feedstock for biofuel.

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The complex land acquisition process is enabled through an outstanding partnership with Ghanaian businessmen and excellent connections with many local stakeholders.

BPL holds a 50-year lease for 1,750 ha, negotiations on additional 2190 ha are complete.

Land registrations are currently in process. The area targeted for BIONIC Plantations is very favorably

located. Coastal region Above average soil quality and favorable climate conditions especially

for Jatropha farming, no elephant grass Excellent logistics (50 km from Tema as a major West African port) Unlimited availability of water from Volta River in case irrigation is

required Large quality workforce available from a stable social background in

the area

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Historic problemsIn the past many initiatives in the African agricultural sector ended unsuccessful due to an interrupted supply chain. Crops were successfully planted and harvested, but no means for marketing or further processing were available. Consequently, farmers could not sell their products and stopped growing the crops.

Africa has an enormous potential for agriculture Global and local demand is high, market prices are good.According to government at most 20% of the arable land in Ghana is under cultivation.Biomass grows at least 3 times as fast in tropical regions compared to the northern hemisphere regions of Europe or America.Land can still be obtained at very low prices.

Research and Development, Farming, Processing, LogisticsOver the last 5 decades Africa has lost most of the agricultural infrastructure that once was widely available. Africa turned into a net importer of food products from a strong exporter position 50 years ago. To rebuild the industry today many of the necessary functions in the industry have to be rebuild. At this point only an agro business that can cover the complete value chain from planting to the final buyer can be successful. Bionic’s approach is actively addressing that issue.

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Due to the enormous size of land available to BPL for plantation development a twofold strategy has been laid out:

Plantation projects owned by interested international investors but fully managed through BPL service companies

Plantation projects owned and managed by BPL (still open for external investors)

To best implement that strategy BPL will set up a number of service companies as subsidiaries some of which will include partnerships with the best experts for the individual purpose.

All service companies will be registered in Ghana: Global Plantation Management Limited (Land acquisition and management) Bionic Plantation Limited (Full service plantation management) Bionic Oil Mills Limited (Product processing) Bionic Logistics Limited (Transport and storage) Bionic Oil Trading Limited (Local and international product trading)

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BPL is offering excellent opportunities for prime investors in the emerging African agricultural sector

Individual investment possibilities are ranging from 2.5 Mio. USD for a 2500 acre project up to over 100 Mio. USD for 100.000 acres and more

Plantation land will be leased and registered to the project owner company for an initial period of 50 years with an optional extension

The investor will have the freedom to decide on the detailed strategy for his plantation, advised and assisted by a BPL team of experts

BPL will supply all required services to the project (end-to-end management)

Company start up Land acquisition Land preparation Supply of seeds, seedlings and planting Plantation maintenance and harvesting

BPL will process plantation produce in its own mills and processing plants in order to add value to the marketable products

Depending on the investors interests BPL will sell the products for the project company or prepare them for delivery according to the investors instructions

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BPL has dedicated significant efforts to determining the best strategic path forward for its plantation

Governing factors are: Short-, mid- and long term profitability Strict observance of full sustainability Responsible, balanced production of food and energy crops Harmonic blending with social and cultural environments Ongoing governance through independent outside advisor

Extensive testing activities conducted by BPL and its partners will support a low risk project approach

BPL views proper crop selection as a key long term success factor

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BPL has initiated a test planting programstarting in April 2008

Phase 1: Intensive testing of various Sunflower varieties

from European, South African and Ghanaian sources

Jatropha test planting started in November 2008 with

nearly 150 ha planted by end of 2009

A Jatropha nursery with a size of 0,5 ha

(more current pictures can always be found here:Sege-Kolluedor farm pictures)

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Sunflower test field

Jatropha field 8 weeks after planting in dry season

Jatropha nursery with approx 300k seedlings


Approx. 8 ha had been planted by end of November 2008with seedlings from another local Jatropha farm.

By May 2009 over 90% of them are flowering. On most plants all branches are flowering, many with multiple

inflorescences. Early fruiting plants show exceptionally well developed fruit

bunches promising above average yields. Against wide spread common prognosis a first harvest occurred

after only 9 months and the first significant harvest 15 monthsafter planting.

Through an active pruning practice BPL expects to reach fullyield (35 to 40 yielding branches per plant) within 3 years.

Based on these convincing test results Bionic Palm managementhas decided to initiate preparations early for the roll out of Jatropha fields to the next level of approx 1200 ha.

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Limited tests with biochar application to the soil show a great potential. Plants with biochar are about 50% larger than surrounding plants 6 months after planting. They are also clearly ahead with flowering and fruiting.

A major test program is being planned with the support of a German university to utilize biochar produced by the microfuel process using biomass waste from Jatropha as feedstock.

Test planting of new fields with cuttings from selected older plants instead of seedlings nursed from seeds show some excellent early results.

After preliminary minor testing showed strongly developing plants after less than 4 weeks a successful field test of approx. 8 ha followed.

This technology proved extremely successful. It will enable a much faster and simpler selection process than anticipated earlier. Cuttings taken from well performing mother plants have a high likelihood of inheriting the high yielding property if it is related to the plants genetics.

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Charcoal added to the soil

Cuttings after only 4 weeks


Expansion of testing into Maize for intercropping purposes. Test of honey farming with the deployment of 20 specially

designed bee hives. Other tree oil testing planned (Moringa, Neem,..). Scientific research on soil improvement technologies

like biochar and mycorrhiza in close cooperation withBionic Group programs in Germany.

Establishment of local information networks for knowledge exchange on commercial agriculture best practices.

Careful analysis of all test results and integration with the various business models offered.

Extensive and permanent soil testing to supply a reliable basis for future expansion of land acquisition.

Development of improved water management methods to deal with high water levels during the rainy season and irrigation in dry season.

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Bee hives being installed at the farm


Planning has been completed for an initial roll out of 1000 ha within 12 to 18 months relying on non-toxic Jatropha and maize.

Plans are based on the experience collected during more than 18 months of careful testing.

BPL will clear, prepare and plant approx. 100 ha per month.

BPL will grow quickly to almost 500 employees.

Financing discussions with various institutions are ongoing.

BPL cooperates closely with global investment specialists for its mid term equity financing.

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BPL has initiated a ground breaking breeding program reaching much further than comparable other programs around the world

Breeding for non-toxic hybrids Breeding facilitated by Interspecific crosses within the Jatropha genus containing over 170 different

species Incorporation of unique wild plant material from the center of origin

A proof-of-concept phase will be finalized by end of 2011 supporting all planned innovative approaches with successful proven tests

All targeted base hybrid types for the breeding platform have been available at least once by July 2011 Initial tests for fertility of next generation hybrids ongoing

The program makes use of the latest advancements in genetically supported hybrid breeding and the most recent scientific research on JcL

Cooperation with Geneticlab, a leader in commercial Jatropha genetic research and the owner of a truly genetic diverse collection of JcL accessions

Several patent applications due by end 2012 Efficient protection of the accumulated IP is essential for achieving proper returns for the investments

in the R&D activities through a comprehensive licensing program

Initial enhanced non-toxic cultivars expected to be ready by mid 2013 for internal use

Stable yields improved by at least 50% over current BPL per ha average Improved horizontal resistance against locally occurring pests including the papaya mealy bug Usability of kernel meal as poultry feed after heat treatment similar to soya meal

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A sustainable mixed poultry farm has been initiated chicken, guinea fowl, turkey Substantial synergies can be activated through the use of Jatropha cake as a

feed ingredient First commercial milestone: sale of 100 birds/week by mid 2012

Bionic intends to facilitate exponential growth of its main products supply through its managed investor plantations model

A new Cocoa based agriforestry project has been initiated in the Central Region of Ghana

Cooperation with local family land owners Nursery start in IV/2012, transplanting to up to 20 ha of testfields in II/2013 Test phase planned for 2-3 years

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Construction of a BTL (biomass-to-liquid) plant featuring the microfuelTM technology developed by the Bionic Group

Products: Bio-crude and bio-char with excellent properties for further fuel upgrading

Agriculture waste from Jatropha and food crops as feedstock Drop-in fossil fuel substitute for all plantation and processing equipment Biochar (biomass derived black carbon) becomes the core of the BPL soil

improvement program Revenue and additional financing potential through the sale of CCRs

Bionic is planning an innovative aquaculture project integrating A (Jatropha backed) plantation for internal production of fish feed A Tilapia fish farm An algae oil project (cleaning the waste water from the fish farm) A microfuel plant for energy and fertilizer supply

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Facilitate change in African agriculture by developing and providing new, locally adapted planting material developing and testing new, adapted agronomic practices helping to close the divide between food and energy farming

Become a leading African agricultural service provider on Innovative African plantation concepts Management services for plantation investors Service partner for upcoming challenges in the mining industry

Bundle the Bionic capabilities in advanced agriculture and biomass energy conversion in one integrated offering for clients from the African extractive industry

Lead the path towards compatible biofuel solutions for the African mining industries while taking serious steps to increased sustainability

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Bionic Palm LimitedPO Box 14916Accra, GhanaEmail: [email protected]

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Office:Tema Light Industrial AreaCommunity 9, Plot No. 6

More information about us on the web:•Bionic Palm > bionic-palm.com•Bionic Fuel > bionic-world.net•Bionic Group > bionic-enterprises.com

Blogs:•Bionic Group records > bionicfuel.blogger.com•Jatropha Breeder 3.0 by Bionic Palm > jatropha.x10.bz

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Bionic Palm Ltd. Ghana, Sustainable oil & food farming