Why jatropha has failed to take off

by Gurumurti Natarajan

Jatropha, a humble weed of the tropics, has lately come to be synonymous with a plethora of options that tantalisingly embody all desirable virtues and shun all dreaded negatives in one fell swoop.

Alternative biofuel, renewable energy, sustainable rural agriculture, crop for the arid tropics, clean development mechanism, carbon credits, rejuvenation of rural landscape, independence from imported crude, forex savings, clean-green fuel and several other epithets have been showered liberally to kindle an interest in this forgotten weed.

Strangely, jatropha merits every one of these adjectives. Yet success at converting this weed into a commercial crop must necessarily precede the justification of any of these descriptors of the plant. There are many legends about this plant : that it thrives in the most decrepit of soils, requires hardly any water, is highly drought resistant and once planted, being a perennial, needs no further attention. From my research and travel in all continents where this plant is seen, these descriptors hold true to the weed.

But that can hardly be extended to reflect ideal conditions of cultivation when jatropha is to be raised as a crop meant for commercial profit.

Fuelled by such crass misinformation, I have witnessed many a farmer in India, Africa and South East Asia scoop out soil from a foot deep pit, about the width of a fist, stuff a young seedling of jatropha in it, occasionally pour a mug of water and wait for a miracle to happen! Alas, their dream of reaping a bonanza from such misadventure has been unfailingly shattered.

For the crop to succeed, several measures have to be taken. These include a detailed regime of soil testing, suitable amelioration and preparation of pits of appropriate dimension. Required to adequately cater to its nutritional needs are basal doses of nutrients, back-fill with a studied mix of compost; and proper soil and sand must be provided. Adequate watering in the non-rainy season, top-dressing with nutrients, canopy pruning, hormonal spray, apiary to promote pollination, inter-cropping during the initial years to foster sustainability are also essential. Research and development of high-yielding varieties with the desired fatty acid profile, crop agronomy and best combinations of inter-cropping must necessarily precede large-scale cultivation of jatropha.

Development of varieties that produce non-toxic de-oiled cake that can be fed to farm animals is critical to augment the revenue potential of this crop. Farming must be backed by prudent marketing mechanisms for the crop to succeed. Presently, R & D in varietal development is in its infancy in all parts of the world. Any trash gets sold as seed for want of organised seed production agencies.

Small farmers cultivating fragmented land holdings of less than a hectare of land hardly qualify to invest in this crop, which entails a gestation period of over three years before commercial yields materialize. Stacked against the staggering statistic of 52.33 million metric tonnes of petro-diesel required in the country (India) for the year 2006-07, a mere one per cent blend with jatropha-derived biodiesel would mandate a cultivation of the crop on 627,960 acres of land! The cost of crushing the seed and its further refining to produce the one percent blend is yet another staggering number!

Given that it takes three years to produce an economic yield of 2,500 kg per acre, the cost of production is a figure that individual farmers cannot attempt viably. Therefore, jatropha needs to be treated with the seriousness that it deserves, and corporate entities equipped to handle large projects need to necessarily be roped in with suitable incentives.

The Hindu