Biodiesel Technology,Jatropha Plantation,Jatropha Cultivation,Jatropha Bio-diesel,Jatropha Curcas,Jatropha Agricultural Technical Support,Farming Technology,Harvesting

A new avenue of commercial farming is opening up for rural people. A tree that yields cleaner, cheaper energy has the potential to pull thousands from the poverty trap.

For more than 50 years, rural South Africans have grown the jatropha carcus tree, known to thousands of KwaZulu-Natalians as maluku, for medicinal purposes.

Little did they know that the tree's seeds bear bio-diesel, with the capability to run any diesel car, truck or generator without the engine needing modification. The fuel, once extracted from the seed, is thought to produce up to 80 percent less carbon-dioxide than conventional diesel.

Some environmentalists and scientists have hailed the plant. The trees' potential has also attracted the attention of private investors.

'Although jatropha is considered invasive'
However, questions about the commercial viability of cultivating the tree, its toxicity, and the environmental impact of growing what is an alien species, remain unresolved.

In June, KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Gabriel Ndabandaba appointed a jatropha task team to research the production of the crop in the province.

Team Chairperson Ben Korateng said that since the 20-man team was formed concern about the tree's commercial viability, its impact on the environment, and doubts about which regions were suitable for cultivation, have surfaced.

Task team Assistant Manager Sandile Mhlongo said, "We've had investors wanting to get involved because they know about the commercial gain of this tree, but the government has set guidelines so that there's social upliftment and poverty alleviation within marginalised communities."

But Korateng cautions that "the department doesn't want to be irresponsible when planting this crop. Maybe during 2006 the government will start allowing it to be widely grown.

"We are working with universities, government departments, non-governmental organisations and students from the Owen Sithole College of Agriculture, in Empangeni, to advance our research," said Korateng, but added that a shortage of funding remained a problem.

He said the team had found that thousands of rural communities had been growing the plant for medicinal purposes for more than 50 years.

"Once we told them about the other by-products, they wanted to grow more and get involved in the commercial side... although they were growing one or two trees," he said.

The department is buying seeds from growers at R1 a kilogram but is anxious that production of the seed should not be at the expense of food.

"We have urged them to grow it in their marginal soil that is not used to grow edible crops," said Korateng.

He said the team had established links with people who use the tree for a variety of other purposes, elsewhere in the world. In Mali the tree has a number of uses. They "press the bio-diesel out and use it as a source of energy for electricity, and with the by-products they make feeds, soaps, insect-repellent and candles", said Korateng. Its by-products also yield glycerol sediment, a cosmetic ingredient.

Mhlongo said jatropha is considered preferable to many other crops in South Africa as a source of bio-diesel because it has already been growing in Africa for years and is therefore thought to pose less of an ecological risk.

"Although jatropha is considered invasive, we have been tasked to prove this because there is no concrete evidence," he said.

To make bio-diesel from jatropha, its small seeds are collected and, after two years of maturing, are crushed.

The seeds can easily be picked by hand.

The trees need only about 500mm of rain a year to survive "so they will not interfere with the country's scarce water resources", said Korateng.

He conceded that jatropha is invasive and poisonous "but like most plants, if its planting is controlled, as we are trying to do, it will never be harmful to the environment or living species", he said.

"The plant is poisonous. It produces a pungent smell to protect itself against animals, but the toxicity levels are very low and harmless - that is where the plant gets its pesticide properties," said Korateng. He was responding to findings put to him that the plant is among the 10 plants most often blamed for poisoning people, mainly children, in South Africa.

Martin Magwaza, a nurse at the Poison Centre at St Augustine's Hospital, in Durban, said the plant was moderately toxic, but its seeds were "very toxic and deadly depending on the number of seeds you've ingested".

Poisoning symptoms, which include convulsions, difficulty in breathing, corrosion of the mouth and stomach, vomiting and nausea, are treatable with antacids.

The Agro Forest Bio Energy Association, a Section 21, not-for-profit, company, is investigating other bio-diesel-bearing trees such as the moringa oleifera, the ximenia caffra, and the pappea capensis, but these need more water than jatropha and jatropha can grow almost anywhere, even in dry, rocky areas.

The association has said it was possible for a family of four to six people to earn a profit of R2 000 to R4 000 a month from the bio-diesel produced from a 25ha plot.

Apart from its potential to cut fuel bills, interest in bio-diesel is being stoked by a global campaign to reduce emissions from the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming.

On Thursday, Russia formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, clearing the way for the environmental pact to come into force in February 2005.

The move means that from February 16, industrialised nations that are signatories to the pact will be legally bound to meet quantitative targets for reducing or limiting emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.

The protocol was signed by the then US president Bill Clinton's administration, European Union member states and Japan in 1997. But in March 2001, US President W George Bush announced his government did not support it and pulled his country out of the deal.

According to the protocol, industrialised nations will have to pay for the pollution they cause in carbon credits. Countries that plant and sustain trees will be able to sell carbon credits to industrialised nations that are short of these credits.

Korateng said South Africa could profit from this, as low-emission fuels, such as bio-diesel, are environmentally-friendly.

Saturday November 20, 8:46 PM
Kalam for focus on rural enterprises, agriculture
By Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Saturday called for more focus on better use of land and rural resources to usher in development and create employment opportunities.

Kalam called for better use of wastelands in the country in view of the shrinking land holdings of farmers.

"If the land is not good for intensive crop production, the same can be used for establishing fruit orchards or tree plantations of economic importance," said Kalam inaugurating a three-day symposium on 'Uncommon opportunities: a roadmap for employment, food and global security' organised by the United Nations World Food Programme.

"Further, degraded land can be redeveloped with biomass plantation, which can help in promoting soil and water conservation and improve the ecosystem while providing fuel and fodder for our villagers," said Kalam.

The president called on scientists to rise to the challenge to boost agriculture by ensuring development of good quality seeds "that would ensure good yield even under constraints of water and land with ecologically balanced farming."

Pointing to the big rural market of 700 million people living in 600,000 villages of the country, Kalam said there was need for creating enterprises to service this market and generate large-scale employment.

"The total eligible aspiring youth at any time in the country are 400 million. Estimated unemployment reported in the year 2004 is about 36 million, which is nine percent of eligible employable population," the president said.

He suggested that Jatropha plantation for extraction and processing of non-edible oil for blending in auto fuels, dryland farming, herbal cultivation and social forestry, lighting through non-conventional energy, tourism and water missions are some areas that could create millions of job opportunities.

Delivering the keynote address, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh called for a new blueprint on governance based on partnership between the government, private sector, international organisations, civil society stakeholders and mass media.

"It will be a great thing if national and international bodies can focus on hunger and malnutrition issues rather than just political problems," said Singh pointing to the fact that hunger and malnutrition are claiming one life every five seconds.

"In a globalised world, globalisation of poverty and hunger poses major challenges for peace and stability," said Pedro Medrano, country director of World Food Programme.

Great Day for Biofuels! Russia Ratifies Kyoto Protocol Treaty
Thursday November 11, 9:30 am ET

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2004--American Biofuels (ABF), which is 35% owned by Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC: GSPI - News), made the following announcement:

After six years of international negotiations the Kyoto Treaty finally received enough signatures from participating countries to make that treaty binding on all signatures. Russia was the last to sign giving the treaty its required 55% of the nations that contribute to global warming gases.

This is a major victory for alternative fuels like biodiesel and ethanol, which reduce CO2 emissions.

On Nov. 5, 2004 Reuters released the following information:

"President Vladimir Putin gave his seal of approval for Russia's crucial backing of the Kyoto Protocol, clearing the way for the U.N. environment pact aimed at curbing global warming to come into force early next year."

"The Kremlin said Putin signed a parliament bill late on Thursday confirming Russia's ratification of the protocol. Both chambers of Russia's parliament approved ratification of the pact last month after Putin pointed the way."

The Wall Street Journal on October 22, 2004, in an article also stated, "The treaty is meant to slow the rapidly accelerating release into the atmosphere of so-called greenhouse gases, chiefly carbon dioxide. CO2, produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal, forms an atmospheric layer that reflects the sun's heat back toward Earth, heating the planet in a process known as the greenhouse effect, or global warming."

Joseph LaStella, president on GSPI, stated, "The use of biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by 78% and that a study done by the National Biodiesel Board indicates that biodiesel is the lowest cost alternative to reduce exhaust emissions from diesel engines, which includes global warming gases."

These past few weeks have been great news for the planet Earth, the Kyoto Treaty was ratified and President Bush signed HR 4520 in law, which provides both biodiesel and ethanol an excise tax refund. Both these events will greatly increase biodiesel and ethanol production in the US and worldwide.

An article printed in Biodiesel Magazine (Oct.-Nov. 2004) states: "India wants to launch a major biodiesel effort, but they have not been able to lock in on a consistent source."

The article further states, "The only real hope (for India) today lies is non-edible tree oils, such as jatropha and pogomia. These oil trees are hardy plants that require minimum water and can grow in nearly all soil types...Plants like jatropha, which produce non-edible oil seeds, can grow very well in varied regions of India." These oil trees have only one hitch; it takes three to five years to produce full yields.

Joseph LaStella stated, "India is only one part of a huge market in a world that suddenly realizes that they may have to import alternative fuels while gearing up their own production of alternative fuels through technology transfers."

The Biodiesel Magazine article also states, "California-based American Biofuels...recently announced that it had shipped a container load of U.S.-produced biodiesel to Asia. The shipment is believed to be the largest order of biodiesel ever shipped from the United States to Asia. The company shipped approximately 6,000 gallons of biodiesel packaged in over 100 barrels. The company called the shipment - 'a major step in opening Asian markets to U.S.- produced biodiesel and biodiesel technology.'"

Presently, almost every country is scrambling to increase their production of biofuels to wean off the high cost and instability of crude oil and become more energy independent.

American Biofuels is not only planning its expansion in the US but also its exports abroad and to construct plants on a joint venture basis in several foreign countries, which have contacted American Biofuels.

Green Star Products, Inc. is an environmentally friendly company dedicated to creating innovative cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and clean up the environment. GSPI is involved in the production of renewable clean-burning biodiesel and other products including lubricants, additives and devices that reduce emissions and improve fuel economy in vehicles, machinery and power plants. For more information, see GSPI's Web site at http://www.GreenStarUSA.com or call Investor Relations at 619-864-4010, or fax 619-789-4743, or email info@GreenStarUSA.com. Information about trading prices and volume can be obtained at several Internet sites including http://www.bloomberg.com and http://www.bigcharts.com under the ticker symbol "GSPI."

Forward-looking statements in the release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the company's products, increased levels of competition for the company, new products and technological changes, the company's dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bio-fuels must be given tax sops

POINTING out the need to have bio-fuel alternatives for fossil fuels, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Thursday favoured giving tax incentives to make bio-fuels economically feasible.

"If bio-fuels have the same tax as petrol and diesel, they will not be economically viable," he said while speaking at an international conference on bio-fuels organised by non-profit organisation Winrock International Ltd.

"As is evident from the experience of some countries, bio-fuels have enough external benefits such as generating employment and income in the rural areas and emitting less green house gases, among others, all of which make it worthwhile for the Government to encourage bio-fuels by providing tax benefits," he added.

The tax incentives need not be in the form of cash subsidy as is the case of kerosene, which the country imports, he added. India's estimated 50-100 million hectares of wasteland, degraded forestland and such can be used for large-scale bio-fuel plantations such as Jatropha curcas, thereby generating employment in the rural areas.

Yield per hectare for bio-fuel plantation is 30-40 per cent, which can safely go to 50 per cent if the right kind of technology is in place, he said.

An investment of Rs 30,000 per hectare is needed for plantation of bio-fuel plants, which would generate an income of Rs 20,000 after a gap of three years for the next 50 years.

"At present, India is not doing enough in the field of renewable energy compared to other fuel import-dependent countries," he said.

"The Planning Commission is already working on finalising a National Energy Policy report which is expected to be finalised by this December," he said on the sidelines of the conference.

The policy would also take into account renewable energy sources along with conventional sources.

LUCKNOW: With non-renewable fossil fuel reserves depleting, and prices spiralling, India is footing a whopping crude oil import bill of Rs 6,04,000 crore. India ranks sixth in terms of energy demand, accounting for 3.5 per cent of global demand.

Addressing a conference on 'Bio-diesel as bio-fuel: energy the world is converting to' on Friday, minister for agriculture Ashok Bajpai said oil import was a major drain on funds that diverted money from development projects.

He emphasised that alternatives to this exorbitant, polluting fuel must be introduced. Jatropha seed oil is a suitable alternative for curbing escalating oil bill.

However, Bajpai said there must be suitable processing and marketing facilities for this agro-produce so that farmers are not stranded with jatropha without a market.

He added that just as it was mandatory for sugar mills to buy sugarcane, similar processing units should be set up for jatropha. Member, Committee on Development of Biofuel AP Dixit said that a 'National Mission' on biofuel has to be started to revolutionise the industry. He agreed that to meet requirements of jatropha growers, an effective and remunerative market was essential.

He said Indian oil companies were already committed to purchasing jatropha from farmers and so far there has been a shortage in supply.

Railways which has experimented with jatropha as biofuel is a potentially large consumer. "If we talk of rural energy security jatropha is a good candidate. It can grow on sodic wasteland adding to the green cover. The plant starts yielding in 2-3 years and no maintenance is required for almost 40-50 years assuring income for UP's farmer. However, the key to sustainability of biofuel is that it has to be cost viable for all, be it farmers, oil extractors, marketing agency or consumer," he said.

As the fuel is eco-friendly, it will meet emission norms. Incidentally, biodiesel and CNG cost is the same on a per-mile basis. However, unlike CNG, biodiesel can be poured into the fuel tank and expensive CNG conversions can be avoided. At this seminar organised by Centre of Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), Om Prakash Singh minister of land resources said concept of jatropha-based biofuel must be taken to the grassroot level with dissemination of information and technology.

Manager CBMD, Hemant Misra and Irshad Mirza from Assocham reiterated the need for promoting it.