From the archive record
Jatropha farming has taken off in a big way in India, but is yet to bring benefits to farmers. Jatropha is being touted as the new bio diesel source. An expert from Delhi Engineering College speaks about the programme. Biofuel development in India centres 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 for 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 m