On the news today from the PDI (Philippines Daily Inquirer):
By Abigail L. Ho
PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. is set to propagate jatropha, for use as biodiesel feedstock, in Mindanao.
According to an official of PNOC-AFC, a subsidiary of the Philippine National Oil Co., Mindanao appears to be the best and most suitable place for growing jatropha, mostly because of the climate and the large tracts of idle land available for use as plantations.
"The Food and Agricultural Organization, in its recent study, assessed the potential of jatropha production as a biodiesel feedstock," PNOC-AFC chair Renato Velasco said in a statement. "The results showed that we have sufficient arable lands and favorable climatic conditions to ensure the large feedstock production every year, and Mindanao is found to be the most suitable area.
"We have already started planting jatropha in Cagayan de Oro and we aim to establish an aggregate amount of at least 700,000 hectares of jatropha plantations all over the country, bulk of which will be in Mindanao."
While encouraging Mindanao farmers to go into jatropha production, he said the aim of PNOC-AFC's jatropha propagation program was not to make farmers shift from producing food crops to planting jatropha.
"We want the farmers to continue growing rice, sugar and others," Velasco explained. "What we intend to do is give farmers additional income by planting jatropha (on idle lands)."
He said jatropha production was a viable livelihood option for farmers as this required minimal supervision and would not compete with food crops for land.
Idle tracts of land--ones that would not be suitable for food crops--could be used in jatropha cultivation.
As for concerns on the use of jatropha as biodiesel feedstock, PNOC-AFC, together with relevant government agencies and the academe, are conducting wide-scale scientific work to discover which variety of jatropha would be best for widespread propagation, Velasco said.
"The Philippines is capable of producing jatropha biodiesel that can pass international standards," Velasco said. "What is more important to note is that we used seeds from the local jatropha variety."
By Abigail L. Ho
PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. is set to propagate jatropha, for use as biodiesel feedstock, in Mindanao.
According to an official of PNOC-AFC, a subsidiary of the Philippine National Oil Co., Mindanao appears to be the best and most suitable place for growing jatropha, mostly because of the climate and the large tracts of idle land available for use as plantations.
"The Food and Agricultural Organization, in its recent study, assessed the potential of jatropha production as a biodiesel feedstock," PNOC-AFC chair Renato Velasco said in a statement. "The results showed that we have sufficient arable lands and favorable climatic conditions to ensure the large feedstock production every year, and Mindanao is found to be the most suitable area.
"We have already started planting jatropha in Cagayan de Oro and we aim to establish an aggregate amount of at least 700,000 hectares of jatropha plantations all over the country, bulk of which will be in Mindanao."
While encouraging Mindanao farmers to go into jatropha production, he said the aim of PNOC-AFC's jatropha propagation program was not to make farmers shift from producing food crops to planting jatropha.
"We want the farmers to continue growing rice, sugar and others," Velasco explained. "What we intend to do is give farmers additional income by planting jatropha (on idle lands)."
He said jatropha production was a viable livelihood option for farmers as this required minimal supervision and would not compete with food crops for land.
Idle tracts of land--ones that would not be suitable for food crops--could be used in jatropha cultivation.
As for concerns on the use of jatropha as biodiesel feedstock, PNOC-AFC, together with relevant government agencies and the academe, are conducting wide-scale scientific work to discover which variety of jatropha would be best for widespread propagation, Velasco said.
"The Philippines is capable of producing jatropha biodiesel that can pass international standards," Velasco said. "What is more important to note is that we used seeds from the local jatropha variety."
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