After four years work in Cuba a group, including specialists from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), has finally achieved their goal by producing renewable energy from an invasive weed and returning abandoned sugar cane land to food production.

Julian Bell, senior business consultant with SAC Consulting (which is part of SRUC) and involved with the project from the start, said: "With the fall of the Soviet Union, demand for Cuban sugar collapsed leading to millions of hectares of land being abandoned and subsequently becoming infested with an invasive, non-native woody weed called Marabu.

"Imagine gorse twenty feet high, with stems as hard as mahogany, growing six feet a year and you quickly appreciate why the Cuban farmers armed with hand tools and old Soviet tractors have been overwhelmed."

Mr Bell was tasked by UK investors Havana Energy and their Cuban joint venture partners to develop an economic method of harvesting and processing the weed for use in a series of bio-energy plants planned for sugar mills across Cuba.

Finding bio-mass equipment tough enough yet capable of high work rates has been the challenge, and of course they could not turn to US suppliers due to the sanctions.

Mr Bell said: "Instead I scoured Europe for the right design. From our most recent trial in December we believe we have found suitable equipment and further improvements are already planned to boost productivity."

Once cleared of Marabu the land will be returned to food production and this was the final piece of the jigsaw achieved in a trial just before Christmas.

"The Cubans were going wild with excitement as they saw twenty years of neglect overturned," explained Mr Bell. "From scrub to excellent farmland - all in a matter of hours, thanks to investment, training and new machinery. For a country that imports 70% of its food and much of its energy it was an historic moment," he added.

Market round-up

The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart had 23 prime cattle forward in Dumfries on Wednesday when heifers sold to 233.5p per kg and averaged 210.8p, while bullocks peaked at 221.5p and levelled at 210.5p.

There were 90 OTM cattle presented in the rough ring when beef cows averaged 125.9p and dairy cows levelled at 91.4p.

The firm also sold 1026 prime hoggs to a top of £88 per head and 217p per kg to average 188p (-8.8p on the week).

The 362 cast sheep forward saw heavy ewes sell to £117 for Texels and average £89.60 (-£2), while light ewes peaked at £98 for Cheviots and levelled at £60.15 (-£7.10).