- Services
- Solutions
- Cleantech Forum events
- About us
- Contact us
Could biodiesel solve rural India's job woes?
May 6, 2009 - Cleantech Group best of the web pick
print
The government of the Indian state of Orissa is preparing a master plan to use jatropha plantations to secure jobs for its rural areas.
The proposal has gained renewed backing in recent months as refiners have begun to extract oil from the seeds of jatropha plants to be used in biodiesel. India accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s jatropha plantations.
Jatropha seeds can yield up to 40 percent oil and produce about 60 to 70 U.S. gallons of oil per acre. Estimates are that jatropha oil yields are 10 times that of corn, but that production hasn’t been realized on a commercial scale (see Indian group plans farm of 5B jatropha trees).
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme's Panchayati Raj Department is now working to issue instructions and plans to local districts, reports Indian publication Express Buzz.
The government has not yet determined whether it can claim private land for the jatropha plantations. A government land grab of private land led to riots that closed a factory intended for Tata Motors' Nano vehicle last year (see Tata Motors moves Indian Nano plant).
Plans to develop 1,500 hectares of jatropha plantations in 2007-08 failed to materialize because of the difficulty in securing project financing (see Record 2008 for cleantech with $8.4B in investments). The government approved the Rs 5 crore ($1 million) proposal by the Science and Technology Department for jatropha plantation and bio-diesel production in the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) region, which is one of the poorest in India.
Companies such as Mumbai-based Bharat Renewable Energy and the government-owned Hindustan Petroleum have already planted more than a million acres of jatropha to provide a million metric tons of biodiesel by 2015 (see $480M Indian refinery signals jatropha shift?).
Source:
Express Buzz
Coverage brought to you by
Comments
Jatropha plantation.
Submitted on May 9th, 2009 by Chumroen Benchavitvilai (not verified)It is in big doubt that jatropha would be econimically viable .
The relative very low and unsecured yield with many unknown factors plus the mislesd cultivation method.
Jatropha cultivation
Submitted on May 10th, 2009 by Naheer Taip (not verified)I read in one of the web pages that in the Indian State of Orissa, Cattle poisoning has been reported after the herd has eated leaves of Jatropha plants, as a promotor of Jatropha cultivation in SRI LANKA, I would like to hear from those invoved as how to solve this problem iof cattle being poisioned,
Also, are there any evidence of a live Jatropha fence will keep away wild Elephants from crossing or act as a dependable barrier to protect farm crops etc. from being destroyed by elephants. Thank you
Naheer Taip, Sri Lanka (organic_plannet@yahoo.com)
Update situation of jatroha plantation in India.
Submitted on May 17th, 2009 by Chumroen Benchavitvilai (not verified)Theer are many rumours that the farmers in India are far from happy with the result of eteh jatropha plantation.
They were promoted and told with story of the miracle plant of Jatropha to be planted in the poor condition soil (marginal/waste land) without any much need of cultivation care.
After some certain epriod .The planted Jatropha trees does not perform as what it was told.
The farmer realized that the Jatropha trees are only vegetative without any productive.
The trust and beleive in these wionderful crops are slowly disppaeraed from their mind.
It is a big wonder how long the Jatropha fever in India will remain.
Post new comment