jatropha cultivation to follow Amul model in Gujarat

Today's concern for green energy is not unknown to anyone. Here I would like to share one such new to have Jatropha as fuel source.

Ministry of science & technology's CSMCRI, has entered into a three-way agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and auto giant General Motors to develop jatropha as a sustainable biofuel energy crop. A complete lifecycle analysis will be conducted to evaluate the environmental impact, starting with fertiliser production, raw materials and harvesting of the jatropha fruit over the five-year period. "Objective behind the $1-million project is to demonstrate that jatropha can produce significant quantity of oil for commercial scale conversion to biodiesel," said General Motors India MD Karl Slym. As per the agreement, the new partnership will establish two farms at Bhavnagar and Kalol in Gujarat.

Amul 's 'white revolution' has changed the lives of thousands of farmers in Gujarat. Now, a Gujarat-based research institute plans to replicate the co-operative model for cultivating jatropha, which produces biofuel. Bhavnagar-based Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) is in talks with NGOs like Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) so as to use the Amul model to avail large quantity of raw material for manufacturing biofuel. This will help the country reduce its dependence on imported petroleum products. Dr Puspito Ghosh, director of CSMCRI said, "We have tasted sweet fruits of 'White Revolution.' If joint efforts are made for mass cultivation, jatropha too has the same potential. Rural co-operatives are the best solution to get quality jatropha fruits under the observation of experts. The institute has also mooted a proposal to the state's forest department formally." Jatropha is emerging as a promising choice for alternative fuel source in India. Since jatropha is cultivated on a random basis on around 0.9 million hectares of land in India, quality of oilseeds are not high. "Though Gujarat's share in total cultivation is just 2.5% at present, we want to promote jatropha cultivation on large chunks of wasteland not only to procure raw materials for biofuel but to also give employment to thousands of people," said Ghosh. Just like milk co-operatives, jatropha co-operative societies would also protect economic interest of farmers he explained, adding, "We are working on a dedicated mobile plant which would collect jatropha seeds from various farms. The plant would extract oil from seeds in front of the farmer. By end of the day, the biofuel processing refinery would have adequate raw oil and farmers would be paid in cash."The approximate cost of a mobile plant would be around Rs 30 lakh. Initially, CSMCRI would develop one unit on experimental basis. Jatropha is a drought-resistant, non-edible plant that can be grown commercially with minimal care on marginal land. Unlike corn and sugarcane, which are grown elsewhere for biofuels, jatropha is inedible; so, it will not impact the food chain negatively.