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ID: 2695Added: 2002-05-28 13:25Modified: 2010-02-01 16:26Refreshed: 2010-03-07 12:58 
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Document(s) 1 of 18
Impact Prerequisites Potential users Future outlook Related projects Contact Resources IntroductionBolivia once spent CAD $800,000 a year importing essential oils (fragrant oils derivedfrom plants or fruits) to make soaps, detergents, deodorants, perfumes, and other household goods. Today the country produces enough oils for domestic use and for export to the United States, France, Japan, and Brazil.This turnabout has helped diversify the agricultural sector in Bolivia and generated employment for more than 200 families in the Province of Cochabamba, one of the country's poorest regions. The development of the essential oils industry is also contributing to efforts bythe Bolivian government and international agencies to find alternative sources of income to growing coca, whose leaves are used to make cocaine. In 1987, with funding from IDRC, scientists with Programa Agroquimico (now Centro de Técnologia Agroindustrial-CTA) at the Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS) in Cochabamba teamed up with Canadian researchers from the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi. Together, they perfected steam-extraction methods for collecting oil from the foliage of eucalyptus trees, lemon grass, and mint, and developed the expertise for purifying the crude oils to meet international standards. Beginning in 1991, a second phase of the project focussed on diversifying the industry by exploring the potential for producing novel oils, including some made from indigenous plants. While it is more difficult to develop markets for these new oils, producers tend to have a monopoly once a market is established. Oil extraction using steam is a comparatively simple and inexpensive process that is readily adaptable to rural areas. The primary steam-extraction techniques can be learned in a matter of weeks and do not involve sophisticated industrial technologies. The Bolivian effort is just the first of a network of essential oils projects IDRC is helping to establish in Latin America and Africa. Impact
PrerequisitesAvailability of oil-bearing renewable resources, such as eucalyptus trees, lemon grass, and mint, and suitable conditions for growing them, or access to indigenous plants suitable for producing essential oils. Each distillation unit includes a 1.5 cubic metre to 5 cubic-metre extractor, a steam boiler, a condenser, and a separator. Constructed from local materials, the units cost CAD $3,000 to $10,000 depending on size.Potential usersRural or small-town communities with available supplies of oil-bearing plants or trees.Future outlookIn early 1997, the project was expanded. The aim is to evaluate the aromatic and insecticidal properties of about 60 native plants with the potential to yield commercial products (essential oils or extracts). Samples will be sent to potential test markets for these new products. This phase is part of a program co-financed by IDRC, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Community, and ORSTOM (a French institute for cooperative development research).Related projectsFour IDRC-funded projects on essential oils are also underway in the African countries of Benin, Ghana, Togo, Morocco, Rwanda, and Guinea, although they are less advanced than the Bolivian project. The goal is to develop local expertise for extracting oils from a variety of plants, including thyme, verbena, mint, basil, artemisia, and geranium. Local and regional market studies have indicated there is majorcommercial potential for these natural products, which are expected to create employment and improve incomes for the poorest people in these countries.These projects are now part of the network "Valorizing vegetable raw material (Africa)", which was created in 1994. To ensure the projects achieve their goals, researchers involved in the network are examining common problems such as natural resource management, market development, and community involvement. ContactDr. Pierre Zaya, P.Eng., Senior ScientistInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC) PO Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario,CANADA K1G 3H9 Tel: (613) 236-6163, ext. 2538 Fax: (613) 567-7749 E-mail: Pzaya@idrc.ca Ing. Eduardo Zambrana Dr. GuyCollin Valorisation des matière végétales (Valorizing vegetable raw material) ResourcesLASEVE, Laboratoire d'analyse et de séparation des essence végétales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi; e-mail: laseve@uqac.uquebec.ca Document(s) 1 of 18
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