Jatropha usage to save government $2B in diesel imports, says Neri

The government expects to save $2 billion in diesel imports by planting jatropha, an economic manager said the other day.

Jatropha’s seeds contain oil extract which can be used to power diesel engines.

"If we become self-sufficient in diesel, we can save 30 percent of the $6 to $7 billion worth of oil we import a year," Romulo L. Neri, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, said in an interview.

Neri said self-sufficiency in diesel production can be achieved if the country can plant jatropha seeds in two million hectares of land within five to seven years.

"There is a lot of interest (for the project) from local governments and private investors. We have so many lands that are just there," Neri pointed out.

To jumpstart the project, Neri said President Arroyo has ordered the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) to release P500 million. The money will be used to procure seeds and cultivate jatropha which takes about six months to start bearing fruits.

The seeds will be bought locally as the first package purchased from India did not mature. We imported one ton (of jatropha seeds) from India. It was expensive and had zero germination," Neri noted.

The initial planting will be made in Fort Magsaysay, a military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija, where a total of 36,000 hectares will be planted with jathropa seeds.

"The reason why we chose a military land is because they can implement the project at once," Neri explained.

Aside from this, the use of military lands will mean lower costs for the government because officials are planning to use lower-risk prisoners to do the planting.

For every hectare of jatropha plants harvested, three tons of oil may be used. This is almost equivalent to three tons of diesel or about 3,000 liters.

Neri estimated the cost of processing oil extracted from the jatropha seeds to be about P17 per liter.

In India, Neri said that by 2010, 50 percent of their diesel consumption will come from jatropha plants.

For the Philippines, he said the country will have an easier time cultivating jatropha plants because of the better soil and more frequent rainfall. – Ma. Elisa Osorio