The Hindu Business Line : Labland plans bio-diesel refinery by next year-end

Kateel (Dakshina Kannada), Sept. 2 The Mysore-based Labland Biotech Pvt Ltd, which is involved in bio-diesel and jatropha-based research and development activities, is planning to set up a bio-diesel refinery at Mysore by the end of next year.

However, the plan depends on the availability of jatropha feedstock as there are not much plantations in the country as of now.

The Managing Director of Labland Biotech Pvt Ltd, Dr Sudheer Shetty, told Business Line at Kateel on Sunday that the company will set up a 50-tonne a day capacity bio-diesel refinery at Mysore by the end next year, provided it gets enough feedstock.

‘Not enough’

Stating that there are not much jatropha plantations in the country, he said: “That is why we are promoting plantation of jatropha all over the country. We need at least 5,000 acres of plantations to put up a refinery of 50 tonne capacity.”

To promote jatropha cultivation, the company has signed a contract with the Gujarat Government for cultivation on 220 acres of land at Kutch. Such similar agreements have been signed with the Bihar Government and the Karnataka Backward Classes Development Corporation. “Like this, we are promoting it through private-public participation model,” he said.

Mr Shetty was at Kateel to participate in the ‘jatropha field day’, where jatropha cultivation has been taken up at the farm of Ms Sundari Shetty of that village. He said his company wants to transform Kateel as a model village for others to see, believe and replicate. “My dream is to make Kateel as an energy independent village,” he said.

BIO-DIESEL BOARD

Dr Shetty suggested that the Karnataka Government set up a ‘bio-diesel development board’. Such a board will help in the promotion of jatropha cultivation and in framing policies related to bio-diesel. States such as Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have such boards.

Karnataka has around 20 lakh hectares of waste land. If 20 per cent of such waste lands are used for jatropha cultivation, it can solve the energy problem of the State to a great extent, he said.

BIO ENERGY PARK

Dr Shetty said that the Government of Sarawak in Malaysia has invited Labland Biotech to establish a bio-energy park there. The oil-yielding seeds will be grown in 500 to 1000 acres of land at the park. Added to this, there will be training centre, refinery and information centres at the park, he said.

The company has also been short listed as technical partners by a Portugal-based company to develop about 10 lakh hectares of land in Mozambique for jatropha cultivation. “We are their technical partners for the next 10 years. We are establishing a laboratory there and supplying planting materials to them,” he added.

Earlier, Dr V.S. Acharya, Karnataka Minister for Medical Education, who inaugurated the ‘jatropha field day’, told presspersons that the Karnataka Government will evolve a plan of action for the use of bio-diesel in the State.

Stressing the need for the large-scale cultivation of jatropha, he said the State will send a team of officials to Chhattisgarh to study its cultivation and uses.

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