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Biofuel in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biofuel development in India centers mainly around the cultivation and

processing of Jatropha plant seeds which are very rich in oil (40%). The drivers
for this are historic, functional, economic, environmental, moral and political.
Jatropha oil has been used in India for several decades as biodiesel to height to
the diesel fuel requirements of remote rural and forest communities; jatropha oil
can be used directly after extraction (i.e. without refining) in diesel generators
and engines. Jatropha has the potential to provide economic benefits at the local
level since under suitable management it has the potential to grow in dry
marginal non-agricultural lands, thereby allowing villagers and farmers to
leverage non-farm land for income generation. As well, increased Jatropha oil
production delivers economic benefits to India on the macroeconomic or national
level as it reduces the nation's fossil fuel import bill for diesel production (the
main transportation fuel used in the country); minimizing the expenditure of
India's foreign-currency reserves for fuel allowing India to increase its growing
foreign currency reserves (which can be better spent on capital expenditures for
industrial inputs and production). And since Jatropha oil is carbon-neutral,
large-scale production will improve the country's carbon emissions profile.
Finally, since no food producing farmland is required for producing this biofuel
(unlike corn or sugar cane ethanol, or palm oil diesel), it is considered the most
politically and morally acceptable choice among India's current biofuel options;
it has no known negative impact on the production of the massive amounts
grains and other vital agriculture goods India produces to meet the food
requirements of its massive population (circa 1.1 Billion people as of 2008).
Other biofuels which displace food crops from viable agricultural land such as
corn ethanol or palm biodiesel have caused serious price increases for basic food
grains and edible oils in other countries.

India's total biodiesel requirement is projected to

grow to 3.6 Million Metric Tons in 2011-12, with the
positive performance of the domestic automobile
industry.Analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic
Analysis of the Indian Biofuels Industry, reveals that
the market is an emerging one and has a long way to
[1]
go before it catches up with global competitors.

The Government is currently implementing an Seeds from the Jatropha

ethanol-blending program and considering curcas plant are used for
initiatives in the form of mandates for biodiesel. Due the production of
bio-fuel, a crucial part of
to these strategies, the rising population, and the
India's plan to attain
growing energy demand from the transport sector,
energy sustainability.
biofuels can be assured of a significant market in
India. On 12 September 2008, the Indian

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Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy'. It aims to meet 20% of

India's diesel demand with fuel derived from plants. That will mean setting aside
140,000 square kilometres of land. Presently fuel yielding plants cover less than
[1]
5,000 square kilometres.

Contents
1 Jatropha incentives in India
1.1 Implementation
1.1.1 Indian Railways
1.1.2 Andhra Pradesh
1.1.3 Chhattisgarh
1.1.4 Karnataka
1.1.5 Tamil Nadu
1.1.6 Rajasthan
1.1.7 Maharashtra
1.1.8 Ahmednagar
1.1.9 Eastern India
1.2 Practices
2 See also
3 Further reading
4 References
5 External links

Jatropha incentives in India

Main article: Jatropha biodiesel

Jatropha incentives in India is a part of India's goal to achieve energy

independence by the year 2012. Jatropha oil is produced from the seeds of the
Jatropha curcas, a plant that can grow in wastelands across India, and the oil is
considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. India is keen on reducing its
dependence on coal and petroleum to meet its increasing energy demand and
encouraging Jatropha cultivation is a crucial component of its energy policy.

Large plots of waste land have been selected for Jatropha cultivation and will
[2]
provide much needed employment to the rural poor of India. Businesses are
[3]
also seeing the planting of Jatropha as a good business opportunity. The
Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres (98 million acres)
of land where Jatropha can be grown, hoping it will replace 20% of India's diesel

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consumption by 2011.[4]

Implementation

The former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, is one of the strong advocaters
[5]
of jatropha cultivation for production of bio-diesel. In his recent speech, the
Former President said that out of the 600,000 km² of wasteland that is available
in India over 300,000 km² are suitable for Jatropha cultivation. Once this plant is
grown the plant has a useful lifespan of several decades. During its life, Jatropha
requires very little water when compared to other cash crops.

Recently, the State Bank of India provided a boost to the cultivation of Jatropha
in India by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with D1 Mohan, a joint
venture of D1 Oils plc, to give loans to the tune of 1.3 billion rupees to local
farmers in India. Farmers will also be able to pay back the loan with the money
that D1 Mohan pays for the Jatropha seeds.

Indian Railways

The Indian Railways has started to use the oil (blended with diesel fuel in various
ratios) from the Jatropha plant to power its diesel engines with great success.
Currently the diesel locomotives that run from Thanjavur to Nagore section and
Tiruchirapalli to Lalgudi, Dindigul and Karur sections run on a blend of Jatropha
and diesel oil.[6]

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has entered into a formal agreement with Reliance Industries
for Jatropha planting. The company has selected 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land at
[7]
Kakinada to grow jatropha for high quality bio-diesel fuel. Kerala is planning a
[8]
massive Jatropha planting campaign.

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh has decided to plant 160 million saplings of jatropha in all its 16
districts during 2006 with the aim of becoming a bio-fuel self-reliant state by
2015.[9] Chhattisgarh plans to earn Rs.40 billion annually by selling seeds after
2010. The central government has provided Rs.135 million to Chhattisgarh this
year for developing jatropha nursery facilities.

In May 2005, Chief Minister Raman Singh became the first head of a state
government to use jatropha diesel for his official vehicle. Chhattisgarh plans to
replace with jatropha fuel all state-owned vehicles using diesel and petrol by
2007 [: did it happen? (It is 12June2010 today)]. Chattisgarh Biofuel

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Development Authority now oversees the production of the Jatropha curcas seed
[10]
as a rich source of bio-diesel.

Karnataka

Farmers in semi-arid regions of Karnataka are planting Jatropha as it is well

suited to those conditions.[11]
Labland Biodiesel is a Mysore based Private Limited Company. Since the year
2002, the Company is active in Biodiesel and Jatropha curcas-based Research
and Development activities headed by its Chairman and Managing Director, Dr.
[12]
Sudheer Shetty.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is aggressively promoting the plantation of Jatropha to help farmers

over come the loss due to irregular rains during the past few years. The
government has contracted the development of Jatropha in Tamil Nadu in a large
scale to four entrepreneurs. Namely M/s Mohan Breweries and Distilleries
Limited. M/s Shiva Distilleries Limited, M/s Dharani Sugars and Chemicals
Limited and M/s Riverway Agro Products Private Ltd. Currently the firms have
cultivated the plant in about 3 square kilometres as against the goal of 50 km².
The government of Tamil Nadu has also abolished purchase tax on Jatropha.
[citation needed]
, but presently government has announced to reduce the 7.5%
tolgate charges to 2.5%

Rajasthan

Jatropha is ideally suited for cultivation in Rajasthan as it needs very little water
which is scarce in Rajasthan. Jatropa plantations have been undertaken in
Udaipur, Kota, Sikar, Banswara, Chittor and Churu districts. In the Udaipur
district, Jatropha curcas is planted in agroforestry formats with food or
cash crops on marginal lands (in India often called waste lands). As its leaves
are toxic and therefore non-palatable to livestock, they remain intact in their
sapling stage, unlike most other tree saplings.[citation needed] These Jatropha
Seeds are very much favorable for the Germination. Udaipur is the major
supplier opf the Jatropha Seeds especially for the Germination. Many companies
and Govt are taking interest to collect best seeds from Udaipur. Bulk Agro (I) Pvt
Ltd iS the elite of the suppliers.

Maharashtra

In September 2007, the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) joined

hands with the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Ltd (MSFCL) for a

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jatropha seed-based bio-diesel venture. As part of the project, a jatropha plant

[13]
would be grown on 500 acres (2 km²) in Nashik and Aurangabad. In
November 2005, the Maharashtra Government aimed to cultivate jatropha on
600 km² in the state, with half the land going to the public sector and the other
[14]
half to the private sector. On July 1, 2006, Pune Municipal Corporation took
the lead among Indian cities in using bio-diesel from jatropha in over 100 public
[15]
buses.

Ahmednagar

Gulabrao Kale studied the prospects of plantation in the Ahmednagar district in

Maharashtra and under his guidance, Govind Gramin Vikas Pratishthan
(GOGVIP), decided to plan under DPAP program of government. Initially, it was a
very difficult task to make farmers ready for the Jatropha plantation. When 20-25
farmers were offered the plan, only 2-3 farmers were convinced to plant
jatropha. Lack of literacy was a big hindrance in convincing the farmers. It was
hard to convince them about the future benefits of the plant and its potential to
produce bio-diesel, an equivalent of diesel. But after untiring and continuous
efforts more than 1000 farmers are working with the GOGVIP for the Jatropha
planting program now. For this task, under the watershed development program,
GOGVIP took an area of 10.92 square kilometres for making CCT’S. To date,
more than 2 million Jatropha plants have been planted in the target area of the
five villages of Vankute, Dhoki, Dhotre, Dhavalpuri and Gajdipoor in the project.
The villages are in the remote locations and that made connecting them with
GOGVIP a difficult task.[16][17]

Eastern India

D1 Williamson Magor Bio Fuel Limited (http://d1wm.co.in/) is a joint venture

company between D1 Oils plc, UK and Williamson Magor group. This biodiesel
initiative was incorporated in July 2006. Advocating the creation of energy from
renewable resources, the company promotes Jatropha Plantations on the
wasteland possessed by the farmers in the North Eastern States, Orissa and
Jharkhand. The Company has a comprehensive network to manufacture bio-diesel
from the oilseeds harvested by the farmers.

Biodiesel initiative hopes to benefit local communities through commercial

plantation of Jatropha. NGOs and self help groups are also involved.

Practices

The Project on Development of Agronomic practices for Jatropha curcas is being

implemented, with the financial assistance of DBT, New Delhi. Dr. Panjabrao
Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola (MS) India has Planted Jatropha on 3 square

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kilometres, with the financial assistance of National Oilseeds and Vegetable oils
development Board.

See also
Electricity sector in India
Renewable energy in India
Solar power in India
Wind power in India
Biofuels by region

Further reading
Altenburg, Tilman (2009). Biodiesel in India : value chain organisation and
policy options for rural development. German Development Institute.
ISBN 9781598698725.

References
1. ^ a b http://www.fuerteventuradigital.com/noticias/News/2007/09/19/194531.asp
2. ^ "Centre For Jatropha Promotion - Promoting farming for future fuel - Growing Diesel
Fuel Plant" (http://www.jatrophaworld.org/) . http://www.jatrophaworld.org/. Retrieved
2006-11-15.
3. ^ "India Inc eyes jatropha farming in a big way" (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com
/2005/09/02/stories/2005090202950100.htm) . Business Line. September 02 2005.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/09/02/stories/2005090202950100.htm.
Retrieved 2006-11-15.
4. ^ "Asia turns to plants for fuel:Governments seek crops to cut oil dependence"
(http://web.archive.org/web/20060618043014/http://www.baltimoresun.com
/news/nationworld/bal-te.asiafuel11jun11,0,3054070.story?coll=bal-nationworld-
headlines) . The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original
(http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld
/bal-te.asiafuel11jun11,0,3054070.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines) on
2006-06-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20060618043014/http:
//www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld
/bal-te.asiafuel11jun11,0,3054070.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines. Retrieved
2006-07-08.
5. ^ "Kalam to attend jatropha planters’ convention" (http://indiaenews.com/2006-06
/10698-kalam-attend-jatropha-planters-convention.htm) . India eNews Pvt. Ltd..
http://indiaenews.com/2006-06/10698-kalam-attend-jatropha-planters-convention.htm.
Retrieved 2006-07-08.
6. ^ "Rlys to plant jatropha for captive use" (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com
/2005/10/20/stories/2005102002021100.htm) . The Hindu Business Line.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/10/20/stories/2005102002021100.htm.

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Biofuel in India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel_in_India

Retrieved 2006-09-17.
7. ^ "RIL enters bio-diesel farming" (http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output
/Business/05550e54-7612-43a4-8ab6-d08686d38cf9.aspx) . zeeu.
http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output/Business/05550e54-7612-43a4-8ab6-
d08686d38cf9.aspx. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
8. ^ "Indian State to Plant 160 Million Jatropha Plants in Quest for Biofuel Self-Sufficiency"
(http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/04/indian_state_to.html) .
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/04/indian_state_to.html. Retrieved
2006-12-04.
9. ^ "Chhattisgarh to plant 160 mn jatropha saplings" (http://indiaenews.com/2006-04
/3049-chhattisgarh-160-mn-jatropha-saplings.htm) . India eNews Pvt. Ltd..
http://indiaenews.com/2006-04/3049-chhattisgarh-160-mn-jatropha-saplings.htm.
Retrieved 2006-04-23.
10. ^ "Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority" (http://www.cbdacg.com) .
http://www.cbdacg.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
11. ^ Barta, Patrick (August 24, 2007). "Jatropha Plant Gains Steam In Global Race for
Biofuels" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118788662080906716.html) . Wall Street
Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118788662080906716.html. Retrieved
2008-04-01. "Until recently, B.K. Nagendrappa didn't care much at all about jatropha, an
ugly wild green shrub that thrives in India. Now, the coconut grower hopes to plant as
many as 12 acres (49,000 m2) of the stuff on his land near Bangalore."
12. ^ http://www.lablandbiodiesel.com Labland Biodiesel Retrieved on 2008-06-21
13. ^ "HPCL, Maharashtra tie up for bio-diesel venture" (http://www.blonnet.com/2005/09
/23/stories/2005092301991900.htm) . The Hindu Business Line.
http://www.blonnet.com/2005/09/23/stories/2005092301991900.htm. Retrieved
2006-07-08.
14. ^ "Maharashtra to offer 300 km² to private sector for jatropha cultivation"
(http://www.blonnet.com/2005/11/16/stories/2005111601871300.htm) . The Hindu
Business Line. http://www.blonnet.com/2005/11/16/stories/2005111601871300.htm.
Retrieved 2006-07-08.
15. ^ "Pune take the lead in using bio-diesel for running 105 buses"
(http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/9904.asp) . Indiadaily.com.
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/9904.asp. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
16. ^ "The Govind Gram Vikas Pratishthan (GOGVIP)" (http://www.gogvip.org/about.html) .
GOGVIP. http://www.gogvip.org/about.html. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
17. ^ "Ahmednagar NGO set to launch biodiesel project"
(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/10/stories/2006011001251900.htm) .
The Hindu Business Line. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/10/stories
/2006011001251900.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-23.

External links
http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/bio/bio.html India Biomass Energy
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel_in_India"
Categories: Biofuel in India | Biofuel by country

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