Experts urge to explore export potential of bio energy

Experts here in the valley today were of the view that the South Asia has to explore export potential of bio energy.
South Asia has to explore export potential of bio energy, said secretary general of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Islamabad M Iqbal Tabish, speaking on workshop on sustainable bioenergy and trade opportunities, organised by South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), in cooperation with the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
However, executive chairman of SAWTEE Dr Posh Raj Pandey doubted that the South Asia could whether exploit it.
The three-day workhop of standardisation workshop on Strengthening Institutional Capacity on Sustainability Criteria for Bioenergy that started here in Kathmandu today will last till Thursday.
At the time when the global enery demand is increasing and environment is threatened by the fossile fuel, bio energy can help reduce dependency on the scare fossile fuel, they said.
"The global economy is threatened by the rising fuel prices," Pandey said adding that the removal in trade barriers and sufficient logistic will help trade bio energy.
"But still the certification will be key where the international agencies like Swedish Standards Institute and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency can help us," he added.
The three-day workshop is being organised against the backdrop of the setting of ISO standards on sustainability criteria for bioenergy. The objectives of the workshop, are to involve key stakeholders from the regions (South and Southeast Asia) in the process of setting standards on sustainability criteria for Bioenergy (ISO 13065); identify related regional needs and priorities; and make a substantial regional influence on the development of the new ISO 13065 standard.
About 40 participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka in South Asia and Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam in South East Asian participated in the workshop.