The Hindu Business Line : Bio-crop business

This refers to the front page news item “Indian Oil plans foray into Bio-crop business” (Business Line, July 30). It is heartening to note that work on bio-crops or petro-crops, such as production of bio-ethanol from sug arcane and sweet sorghum, and bio-diesel from jatropha, have assumed greater importance in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat.

The time is also thus right for such oil companies as Indian Oil and Bharath Petroleum to explore ways and means to augment the area under non-edible oil plantations such as jatropha and pongamia, to increase the production of bio-diesel.

In March the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Dept issued a GO No 116 in this regard, where it has fixed a target of 20,000 hectares per year and wish to reach 100,000 hectares before 2010.

Fifty per cent subsidy is announced for jatropha seedlings and a number of private players have initiated the work of setting up plantations for contract farming activities.

This kind of proactive atmosphere for jatropha growth can be made even more conducive if the nationalised banks come forward to help bio-crop contract farmers without any hassles and needless paperwork.

A strong direction in this regard from the Finance Minister or the Prime Minister would give such initiatives a welcome push.

Today, we see an inflow of jatropha seeds from Japan and Germany, mainly for oil extraction.

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and other private Universities must therefore be encouraged to take up intensive research on jatropha so that we can supply right type of seeds to the farmers.

TNAU, as well as private research institutes, such as the Enhanced Biotechnology Institute, Madurai University and Gandhigram Rural University should be activated with grants from the Centre so that the country can achieve its targets for bio-fuel manufacture and ensure energy security for future generations.

S. A. Alagarsamy Chennai

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Bio-crop business