Jatropha can be harmful, expert warns

By Conrad M. Carińo, Senior Desk Editor

A top biotechnologist in the country said the government should not
encourage marginalized farmers to plant jatropha on a massive scale
because that would put them at a disadvantage.

Dr. Saturnina Halos, chairman of the Department of
Agriculture-Biotechnology Advisory Team, told The Manila Times that
farmers would be at the receiving end if they plant jatropha because
the only big market for that crop is biodiesel.

Halos said jatropha is "toxic" to the soil, and may contain a
neurotoxin that can harm or kill humans.

"The farmers will be placed at a disadvantage, because the only big
market for jatropha is biodiesel. What if that market suddenly
disappears … the farmer would be left in a pitiful state," she added.

While jatropha planting is encouraged along lands where rice cannot be
planted, Halos said the biofuel crops that the government should
propagate should also have a market for food. Among these are coconut,
malunggay, cassava, sweet sorghum, and sugarcane.

She added that there is no need to devote so much land for biofuel
crops, as far as complying with the Biofuels Law is concerned.

Halos said her son, Ari Halos, a former professor at University of the
Philippines-Los Bańos, undertook a study in 2007 on the planting
requirements of the Philippines to comply with the Biofuels Law. The
study showed the country needs to devote only 60,000 hectares of lands
for planting bioethanol crops, particularly sweet sorghum.

Bioethanol refers to the plant additive for gasoline, while biodiesel
is for diesel.

Halos said her son's study showed that there may be no need to devote
new areas to plant biodiesel crops, because the Philippines already
has 324 million coconut trees, and 16 million more trees will be
planted through a program of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

While coconut is also a source of food additives such as cooking oil
and condiments, she agreed that the biodiesel market will provide
opportunities for poor coconut farmers to earn more, because they will
have an alternative market for their products.

Halos said the findings of her son's studies showed that biofuel
production for domestic demand will not have a negative impact on
farmland planted to food crops, because there is no need to devote
millions of hectares to plant biofuel crops.

"If we need to export biofuel stocks, then that might need the
planting of biofuel crops in more lands. What I have heard is
California is now looking at the Philippines for biofuel [stocks],"
she added.

The country has 10 to 11 million hectares of lands planted mostly to
food crops, with another two to four million hectares available for
planting new crops.

Other biofuel crops Halos strongly recommends are malunggay and sweet
sorghum, which can be planted in rice farms after two seasons of
planting rice.

Malunggay, like coconut, she revealed, can be planted even in areas
near the seashore, where traditional food crops cannot be cultivated.
Also, malunggay oil, like coconut oil, is now being used in the
manufacture of processed foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Another versatile biofuel crop is sweet sorghum. Halos said this crop
can be planted in rice fields after two croppings of rice, since sweet
sorghum needs less water to grow.

"Usually after two croppings of rice, there is little water left to
plant [rice]. So farmers can plant sweet sorghum [for the third
cropping], she added.

Fortunately, unlike other government agencies, the Agriculture
department is not encouraging the mass propagation of jatropha.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/25/yehey/top_stories/20080425top5.h\
tml

Dear Group Members,

     We must appreciate the step taken by Meerut Administration.
Biofuel at the cost of children's lives is not acceptable. In many
parts of India including in Chhattisgarh farmers are already uprooting
this poisonous plant. Now I feel that its time for mass movement to
destroy this toxic plant from everywhere like once many organisations
burnt Bt cotton in India.

Seeing the increasing cases of Jatropha poisoning I am sure
administarion of all parts of the world will take this firm decision.
Last week I met eight children in Chhattisgarh facing mental troubles
after consumption of Jatropha seeds. It was very painful experience.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

--- In jatropha@..., "Pankaj Oudhia" <pankajoudhia@...>
wrote:
>
> Meerut admn asks residents to destroy Jatropha plants
>
>
> Meerut, April 22 The government may be promoting jatropha plantation
> to meet the fuel need of the country. But with 50 children falling
> sick in Meerut last week after eating jatropha seeds, the
> administration has issued a public notice asking people to destroy the
> plants.
>
> According to District Magistrate Kamini Chauhan, a large number of
> children reported to the District Hospital with similar symptoms last
> Friday. After investigations, the reason was found to be the jatropha
> seed, she says.
>
> A public notice issued by Chief Conservator of Forests, Meerut, Dr R P
> Bharti, says: “Some people have planted jatropha trees for economic
> gains, but it is the duty of the people to give priority to the human
> life over economic gains.”
>
> Jatropha seeds are poisonous. Its leaves look like those of grape
> plants, and the seeds taste sweet. Several people have died in the
> state in the past after consuming the seeds.
>
> Teams of Forest and Horticulture departments â€" the agencies designated
> by the government for jatropha promotion â€" are now scouting for
> jatropha trees and destroying them.
>
> The notice directs all planters to destroy the trees and asks teachers
> and parents to create awareness among the children about the
> ill-effects of consuming jatropha seeds. “If any untoward incident
> happens after the issuance of the public notice, jatropha growers can
> be penalised,” it adds.
>
> Officials in the Forest and Horticulture departments, however, are not
> sure under what law can they penalise the planters.
>
> “It’s not illegal to grow jatropha,” admits the Chief
Conservator of
> Forests, “but the notice was issued in the interest of the safety of
> children. There have been three incidents of jatropha poisoning in
> Meerut alone.”
>
> Deputy Director, Horticulture, Arjun Prasad Tiwari, says: “We are only
> trying to see that there are no such trees near schools and other
> vulnerable areas.”
>
> An official policy, on the other hand, encourages jatropha plantation.
>
> Not just landowners, self-help groups can also cultivate jatropha on
> land belonging to the village panchayat or the state government after
> entering into a revenue sharing arrangement.
>
> “The jatropha system creates a positive reciprocity between raw
> material, energy production and environment,” says a government
> publication on Jatropha Mission in UP. Targets are fixed for jatropha
> cultivation and the government is promoting what it calls P4 model â€"
> Public-Private-Panchayat Partnership â€" for jatropha cultivation.
>
> The only restriction is that it should not be planted on fertile
> agricultural land.
>
>
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Meerut-admn-asks-residents-to-destroy-Ja\
tropha-plants/300467/
>

Kasla poisons
ten children
BY PATRICK PANGILINAN

Help for the families of the 10 children in Cansilayan, Murcia, who
were allegedly poisoned by the Jatropha Curcas or Kasla seeds they ate
Sunday has been ordered by Mayor Esteban Coscolluela of Murcia town,
Negros Occidental, yesterday.

Reports said the children, aged 3 to 14, were brought to the Corazon
Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital after suffering fits of
vomiting Sunday afternoon.

The children had eaten the seeds of the kasla fruits they took from
the compound of a school in Cansilayan, the reports added.

Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Luisa Efren would not be reached for
comment up to press time last night.

Kasla is being planted as a source of biodiesel.*PP

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2008/April/22/topstory9.htm

Meerut admn asks residents to destroy Jatropha plants


Meerut, April 22 The government may be promoting jatropha plantation
to meet the fuel need of the country. But with 50 children falling
sick in Meerut last week after eating jatropha seeds, the
administration has issued a public notice asking people to destroy the
plants.

According to District Magistrate Kamini Chauhan, a large number of
children reported to the District Hospital with similar symptoms last
Friday. After investigations, the reason was found to be the jatropha
seed, she says.

A public notice issued by Chief Conservator of Forests, Meerut, Dr R P
Bharti, says: “Some people have planted jatropha trees for economic
gains, but it is the duty of the people to give priority to the human
life over economic gains.”

Jatropha seeds are poisonous. Its leaves look like those of grape
plants, and the seeds taste sweet. Several people have died in the
state in the past after consuming the seeds.

Teams of Forest and Horticulture departments â€" the agencies designated
by the government for jatropha promotion â€" are now scouting for
jatropha trees and destroying them.

The notice directs all planters to destroy the trees and asks teachers
and parents to create awareness among the children about the
ill-effects of consuming jatropha seeds. “If any untoward incident
happens after the issuance of the public notice, jatropha growers can
be penalised,” it adds.

Officials in the Forest and Horticulture departments, however, are not
sure under what law can they penalise the planters.

“It’s not illegal to grow jatropha,” admits the Chief Conservator of
Forests, “but the notice was issued in the interest of the safety of
children. There have been three incidents of jatropha poisoning in
Meerut alone.”

Deputy Director, Horticulture, Arjun Prasad Tiwari, says: “We are only
trying to see that there are no such trees near schools and other
vulnerable areas.”

An official policy, on the other hand, encourages jatropha plantation.

Not just landowners, self-help groups can also cultivate jatropha on
land belonging to the village panchayat or the state government after
entering into a revenue sharing arrangement.

“The jatropha system creates a positive reciprocity between raw
material, energy production and environment,” says a government
publication on Jatropha Mission in UP. Targets are fixed for jatropha
cultivation and the government is promoting what it calls P4 model â€"
Public-Private-Panchayat Partnership â€" for jatropha cultivation.

The only restriction is that it should not be planted on fertile
agricultural land.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Meerut-admn-asks-residents-to-destroy-Ja\
tropha-plants/300467/

Dear Group Members,

        Few days back I was in Rajim region of Indian state
Chhattisgarh where Jatropha was planted along with road. During this
visit I found hardly one or two plants. Natives informed that Termites
attacked this population and so-called insect resistant Jatropha
destroyed.

In almost all plantations Termite attack is visible. It is resulting
in poor performance and early death of plants. Jatropha in farmers
fields is also under attack. Farmers are using pesticides but they are
in deep worry. Every new input is increasing cost of cultivation. They
have already invested must for pest management.

Here is photo album of pest (including insect, diseases and weeds)
infestation in Jatropha in Indian state Chhattisgarh. I will add new
pictures time to time in this album as over 3000 pictures are in wait
list.

http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=pdb&Keyword=jatrophapestcg&Thumbnails=Only


regards

Pankaj Oudhia

'Say No To Jatropha' campaign

Doubts over the future of D1 Oils
Small caps
Robert Lindsay

D1 Oils, the grower of Jatropha plants for biofuel, which is scrapping
its expensive British refinery, fell 2p to close at 35˝p as worries
over its future gathered weight.

Deep in its results last week, which were overshadowed by the terms of
a deeply discounted rights issue, it said that it was writing off some
of its Jatropha plantations because of poor management and the failure
of seeds to germinate. Goldman Sachs calculates that the company is
removing about 50,000 hectares from its books.

D1, founded by Karl Watkin, who left it recently, is also cutting its
yield per hectare prediction by about 20 per cent. Goldman still has a
"buy" rating, but D1's credibility, already low, can only be damaged
even further.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/article3776661.ece

Here is link to Hindi article written by famous writer Shri Prabhas
Joshi in Jansatta.

http://visfot.com/index.php?news=112

Dear Group Members,

      In few months dozens of researchers around the world visited my
state Chhattisgarh for studying impact of Jatropha. They stay is same
hotel sponsored by state authorities. Visit to fixed farmers and
Jatropha promoters and with gifts return to Delhi where they launch
report in star hotels. I know how much they expense in the name of
Jatropha study. After reaching to Delhi they contact me with sorry
that they were unable to meet during state visit and now want 'few
lines' against Jatropha to 'balance' the report. It is common trend
and without hesitation I am saying that they are wasting resources and
money of their countries and also wasting papers to present false report.

For real ground level report one must

1. Meet the farmers who have uprooted this plant from their fields.
2. See the impact of Jatropha on native flora.
3. See insect infested Jatropha fields waiting for remedial measures.
4. Interact with hundreds of children affected by Jatropha and get
proof of their mental status after consuming poisonous Jatropha.
5. Interact with common people of the state to get real picture. Every
one from rural to urban region will tell you how authorities fooled
them. and lots of more information on different aspects--

I was invited to attend one such launch of Jatropha report. They have
written that you have to come at your expense to Delhi. There will be
brain storming session. Total duration of program is 5 hours. In five
hours what they are going to do we know it. It is mere wastage of
resources.


regards
Pankaj Oudhia

Note: forwarded message attached.



      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Moderator's comment: Malunggay is Drumstick, Munga or Sahajan
(Moringa oliefera)]

Philippines cultivates new biofuel wonder crop

Filed from Singapore 11/04/2008 10:14:46 GMT


Philipines

PHILIPPINES: The Philippines is cultivating a new wonder crop for
biofuel production, according to media reports. The malunggay, a plant
that can be grown for food and fuel, is touted to be a better biofuel
crop than jatropha.

Unlike jatropha, all parts of the plant can be used either for food or
for fuel. The leaves of malunggay can be eaten, while oil can be drawn
from the seeds to produce fuel. The malunggay seedlings will take one
to two years to mature, half the time required for jatropha.

Secura International is promoting the cultivation of the new wonder
corp backed by the support from the Department of
Agriculture-Biotechnology Programme Office.

The biotechnology company has established 30 malunggay plantations
covering 300,000 hectares (741,316 acres) nationwide. It is now
looking for an additional 200,000 hectares (494,211 acres) in
Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao, Ilocos, Pangasinan and Bohol.

Oil extracted from the malunggay harvests at the plantations will be
supplied to North American Biofuel Inc. for biodiesel production.

http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=3&storyid=9922

British PM sounds biofuel warning

4/11/2008 10:45:00 AM

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to Japanese Prime Minister and G-8 Nations Chairman Yasuo Fukuda calling for a discussion of the impact of biofuel production on food prices at the Group of Eight rich nations summit in July.

"There is a growing consensus that we need urgently to examine the impact on food prices of different kinds and production methods of biofuels, and ensure that their use is responsible and sustainable," Brown wrote.

On Friday, French farm minster Michel Barnier told Reuters that production of food must take precedence over biofuels as prices surge and the threat of famine grows, and called for a European Union initiative on world supplies. "Absolute priority must be given to agricultural production for food," he said.

http://www.country-guide.ca/east/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=82785&issue=04112008&story_id=&PC=FBC

Tushar

Vasundhara

Biofuel; Fueling Food Crisis and Food Riot

UN agencies warn of food riots unless corrective steps taken

The Financial Express

Commodities Bureau
Posted online: Thursday , April 10, 2008 at 2354 hrs IST

New Delhi, Apr 9 The chiefs of UN agencies cautioned about food riots in the near future if corrective steps were not taken on time. They expressed concerns over the rising food prices across the world.

Briefing mediapersons here on Wednesday, the director-general of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Jacques Diouf, said, "World food prices have risen 45% in the last nine months and there are serious shortages of rice, wheat and maize."

He singled out bio-fuel programme as one of the major contributing factor to the global price rise as it has caused diversion of farmland from food to fuel crops and the prices of bio-fuels which scaled up in tandem with the prices of fossil fuels in turn affected the food prices.

Diouf also said that the climate change had had its impact like droughts, floods and natural calamities at places. He called for smoothening of the demand-supply chain. He informed that global food stocks were at historic low since 1980s. He said that another reason for the price rise was the high GDP growth rate in populous countries like India and China where rise in disposal income had caused a change in life style and increased demand.

The FAO chief suggested that the governments should step up their investments in agriculture, particularly in irrigation, storage, feed and livestock, infrastructure and mechanism for ensuring sanitary and phytosanitary measures. "The critical situation of today is due to the wrong policies pursued in the last 20 years," he said.

Regarding global market, he said that it should ensure a level playing field and should not be distorted by subsidies and high tariffs. UNIDO director-general Kandeh K Yumkella said, "Industry can play a major role n post-harvest management, processing and in supply of inputs."

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/UN-agencies-warn-of-food-riots-unless-corrective-steps-taken/294857/

Just enough food to last 2-3 months, says FAO chief
9 Apr 2008, 2330 hrs IST , AGENCIES

Dear Group Members,

     Raipur based Daily Chhattisgarh reported today that 4 children
were hospitalized in Bilaspur hospital due to accidental feeding of
poisonous Jatropha. These children are from village named Kopra
Bahatarai. All are from same family.


Pankaj Oudhia

Status of Jatropha curcas in year 2022 in India.

By Pankaj Oudhia

http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=earticleView&earticleId=3082&page=-2


--- In jatropha@..., "Kanchi Kohli" <kanchikohli@...> wrote:
>
> By 2017, biofuel will meet 10% of transport needs
> 9 Apr 2008, 0341 hrs IST,Nitin Sethi,TNN
>
>
>
> New Delhi: Disregarding the consequences of the use of scarce land
to grow
> biofuels on environment and food security,
>
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/By_2017_biofuel_will_meet_10_of_tr
> ansport_needs/articleshow/2936405.cms> India is readying a national
biofuel
> policy, which aims to set a target of meeting about 10% of total
transport
> fuel with bio-fuels by 2017.
>
> The policy is open to changes, but estimates suggest that 12 million
> hectares of land would have to be brought under
>
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/By_2017_biofuel_will_meet_10_of_tr
> ansport_needs/articleshow/2936405.cms> biofuel crops to meet the
target.
>
> This is roughly an area the size of
>
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/By_2017_biofuel_will_meet_10_of_tr
> ansport_needs/articleshow/2936405.cms> Goa and Kerala put together.
Though
> the government has said that it would use only revenue and forest
wastelands
> for plantations, the continued premium on biofuels is sure to cause
> consternation to the growing numbers who feel that the land
resources should
> be harnessed solely for growing crops or animal feed.
>
> A Group of Ministers, headed by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, is
> expected to finalise the policy by the end of May after being under
> discussion for almost a year.
>
> The group will finalize its stance when the romance with biofuels
seems to
> have somewhat soured because of the food crisis and the findings
that they
> may worsen the problem of climate change.
>
> Unlike the US and southeast Asian countries, the policy will push
for only
> non-edible crops to be used for manufacturing biofuels. With the
diversion
> of corn by US and palm in southeast Asia being partially blamed for
a global
> food crisis, the stipulation on using non-edible plants is also a
devise to
> deflect criticism of encouraging biofuels.
>
> US plans to meet 30% of its transport fuel demand through biofuels
by 2030.
> This means that huge quantities of corn and maize that US
>
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/By_2017_biofuel_will_meet_10_of_tr
> ansport_needs/articleshow/2936405.cms> farmers produce will
disappear from
> the international grain markets.
>
> Even in India, food-fuel issues are not likely to go away,
particularly when
> farm productivity is low, capital investment is lagging and procurement
> problems could force government to look at imports.
>
> India already has 600,00 hectares under jatropha plantations in AP,
> Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh, which could provide 0.3-0.5 billion
litres
> of biodiesel. India is also keen on using biofuels not only for
producing
> fuel but also electrification. The first such biofuel electrified
village
> has already come up in Chhattisgarh.
> The policy would also create a National Biofuel Board to spearhead the
> development of these fuels. It would be provided due legal backing
with a
> law.
>
> A subsidy for biofuel growers could be a part of the policy, sources
said.
> The policy also contemplates a subsidy structure to keep biofuels at
parity
> with other fuels by adjusting excise and VAT. The government is also
keen on
> keeping the biofuel sector completely domestic - it will not be open to
> export and import which is seen as a measure to protect farmers from
> volatile international oil markets.
>
> This is contrary to US plans which is working to a long-term strategy of
> creating an international market with standardized biofuels that can be
> traded just like any other commodity. US is steadily moving towards
> second-generation biofuels. Unlike the first generation technology,
which
> uses sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats to make oil, the
> second-generation technology is based on cellulosic biofuels from
non-food
> crops and is yet to reach a commercial scale.
>
> Some experts have argued that developing countries like India should
wait
> for second-generation technology, which has a much smaller ecological
> footprint. But India is bound to focus on both ethanol and jatropha
besides
> other crops on which research is still on.
>
>
>
>
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/By_2017_biofuel_will_meet_10_of_tra
> nsport_needs/articleshow/2936405.cms
>

Revealed: No Jatropha policy in place
By Fanyana Mabuza

An eye-opening seminar on Jatropha, the much touted alternative to
fossil fuels, was held at the University of Swaziland's Luyengo Campus
on Tuesday evening, and it managed to bring to the fore the pros and
cons of this ambitious project currently driven by D1 Oils Swaziland,
a local subsidiary of the International company.

Entitled `Jatropha... A Case for Food Security in Swaziland', the
seminar, organised by the UNISWA's UMoba Society, pitted the plant's
detractors and supporters against each other.

Among the panelists were D1 Oils' Rex Brown, a former lecturer in
Agricultural Geography at the University and Thuli Makama, Director of
environmental watchdog Yonge Nawe - Friends of the Earth International
(FoEI).

revolutionalise

Yonge Nawe (FoEI)'s stand over the Jatropha issue is well known, while
D1 Oils' Brown insisted that the tree could revolutionalise farmer's
lives, as they can begin reaping financial rewards in the third year
of a Jatropha tree's life, while that windfall could last for over 50
years as the tree is capable of growing that old.

Other panelists included Solomon Gamedze from the Ministry of
Agriculture, Professor OT Edje from the University, and
representatives from NGOs working on food and poverty alleviation,
like World Vision, the Food and Agricultural Organisation and CANGO.

formulating

It can be said that the Ministry of Agriculture's Gamedze made
startling revelations to the effect that government was still
formulating a policy to regulate the planting and processing of
Jatropha in the country, but already D1 Oils had planted vast acres of
land with the tree.

The company has also roped in many farmers countrywide, most who have
quit cultivating staples and joined the Jatropha bandwagon, which
sadly, has not been tested for success in Swaziland.

There were fears also that what if the tree proved to be invasive and
toxic, which could leave the country with a bigger problem than
currently has, that of Chromolaema Odorata (Sandanezwe).

decried

Gamedze decried the fact that seemingly the country had thrown caution
to the wind and adopted the Jatropha craze, without fully engaging the
practitioners.

"We have not had much chance of talking to each other as stakeholders,
while so much has taken place concerning the plant. As much as the
Ministry welcomes the issue of biofuels if they can relieve the
country of the ever escalating costs of fossil fuels, we should
remember that only 10 percent of the land is arable, and we should be
seen to be asking how much of that land can be sacrificed to
Jatropha," Gamedze noted.

competition

He continued that they were aware of the already raging competition
between Jatropha and food security, which was unfortunate as
government did not have sufficient information about the oil producing
tree, whether, for example, it was invasive or not.

"No environmental risk assessment has been undertaken over Jatropha,
when it should have been put under a severe environmental scrutiny
before it could be embarked upon. This is against the spirit of the
Plant Control Act of 1981.

"More data, more quantitative information and partnership should have
been forged between stakeholders before we committed ourselves to the
Jatropha project," Gamedze stated, putting the house in a quandary as
to whoever gave D1 Oils the go ahead to begin such an ambitious
project, when the country was still formulating a policy for it.

warned

Yonge Nawe FoEI's Makama warned that in the mix of all priorities in
the country, Swaziland could be joining the Jatropha bandwagon blindly.

"The National Biofuels strategy is still being developed but acres
upon acres of arable land has been planted with Jatropha. What will
happen if the studies being conducted can prove otherwise? We should
have applied that old idiom: If there is an uncertainty, take
caution", she said.

She noted that the tree was not grown in private farms, which had the
necessary controls but was being foistered on Swazi farmers with no
power to remediate it, if it could get out of hand.

"The United Nations has identified Jatropha as invasive, while the
Jatropha growing farmers are the same ones queuing for Mshamndane
food. All the myths about Jatropha's pros are contested. We needed a
full disclosure on the plant before we could commit ourselves fully,
but sadly we have already done so." she closed.

intercrop

Professor Edje explained that it was possible to intercrop Jatropha
with other crops like beans, saying such a practice could lead to
better land usage.

Other organisations at the seminar refrained from making any remarks
on the subject, saying they were watching closely the developments,
and could comment thereafter.

It should be said that His Majesty King Mswati II was expected to
officially launch the D1 Oils Swaziland Jatropha project the previous
Friday, but the event was postponed to a later date, due to reasons as
yet unexplained.

http://www.observer.org.sz/weekend/main.php?id=42441&section=mainweek

Bio-fuel: End or Beginning
Sun, 2008-03-30 02:15

By Chandra Mohan - Syndicate Features

Though bio-fuel is touted as one of the better and cheaper
environment-friendly alternatives for motor vehicles, it has been
attracting a rash of negative publicity particularly after
corn-derived ethanol produced in the US has driven up corn prices as a
result of which tortilla, a must food item in Mexican homes, is
becoming unaffordable in Mexican homes. So, the question is will the
honeymoon with bio-fuel be over even before it has begun?

Bio-fuel has been painted as a villain that will inflict a more
serious problem on the hapless planet earth. A report prepared by
British members of parliament says that bio-fuel often increases
greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbates the climate change that it is
supposed to avoid. Merely increasing the use of bio fuels will not
mitigate the problem of climate change and the harm it is causing to
man and his planet.

It is widely believed that the food crops that go into the production
of bio-fuel will increase food prices manifold, which in turn may lead
to worldwide hunger. The message is grim because grain production is
already in decline the world over.

The cry against bio-fuel has not subsided even when $100 a barrel
looks like the base price of crude oil and its climb towards the $200
a barrel mark in maybe less than a year does not sound like a wild
guess. Some analysts say it will hit the $250 a barrel mark. It will
probably be a matter of debate which of the two is a nearer and more
serious threat: pollution or the astronomical levels of crude oil.

For countries like India the global tirade against bio-fuel may be
especially embarrassing as the campaign for popularising it in the
country remains in place despite the gathering storm against it. For
instance, it was only in February 2007 that the government of Haryana
had signed seven MoUs with independent power producers to set up 21
biomass-based power stations at eight different locations to produce
686 mw of power. The `raw material' to be used includes rice and wheat
husk and also sugarcane straw, all from an area within a radius of 15
to 20 km of the plants.

Haryana has identified a potential of 1400 mw from biomass. But that
is only a fraction of its projected need for 2010, which is 40,000 mw.
Meanwhile, officials continue to sing praises of Jatropha, a bio-fuel
crop that is seen as India's answer to the oil crisis caused by
rocketing prices and the country's insatiable hunger for oil, thanks
to its galloping economy.

The government will cut a sorry figure if it renounces the bio-fuel
policy after investing a great deal of money and thought into it. But
with questions being raised over the efficacy of bio-fuel the
government may have to decide if it wants to continue with active
bio-fuel programmes vigorously or put in slow motion. The present
position of the government is that it will continue to encourage
Jatropha cultivation for bio-fuel production but on degraded land. It
may be a signal for a change in the bio-fuel policy, but it has to be
pointed out that it has come without any assessment of Jatropha's
adverse impact on the cultivation of bio-fuel crops.

Of course, the embarrassment is not confined to India. The European
Union had announced some time ago that by 2020 it wants the fuel for
10 percent of cars in its member nations to come from bio fuels. The
target, which was set with a view to lessening the impact of climate
change, has not been given up, as far as one knows. The issue of
climate change has been agitating the world seriously for almost two
years now when the fear of its serious consequences has forced a
change in the earlier lackadaisical approach towards it.

Roughly speaking, anything that burns but made with vegetable matter
can be called bio-fuel. It was initially hailed as one of the best
solutions for dealing with the problem of climate change because
bio-fuel use can, at least so it was believed then, reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. Its application in the transport sector was greatly
advocated.

But the `vegetable matter' needed for producing bio-fuel is grown on
farmlands. Now experts say that 9 percent of the world agricultural
land will be needed to replace just 10 percent of the fuels used by
the transport sector. The figure does not suggest that bio-fuel is a
better source to counter the emission problems arising from the
transport sector.

It is furthered strengthened by a UN study, which says that bio-fuel
will be a more effective alternative if it is used for heating and
generating power rather than used in the transport sector.
So, there is still some reason to produce and use bio-fuel. Recently
developed technologies enable bio-fuel to be produced from waste from
cash crops and also from hardy plants that grow on poor soils. In a
given area it is possible to grow two crops, for food and bio-fuel.
This can even make food cheaper as farm incomes rise from two crops. A
lot of hope rests on the second generation of bio fuels.

However, it was never claimed that bio fuels alone can address the
problem of climate change. The issue is about alternatives to fossil
fuel, which are many but so far their application has, for various
reasons, been limited. The world is still to exploit the energy
potential of wind, thermal, solar and ocean currents. As the harmful
effects of climate change become more and more evident much of the
world is committing itself to reduced emissions. Even the hitherto
reluctant US is likely to come on board. Thanks to the relentless
upward ride of crude prices, the world has hardly any option other
than marching towards `renewable' and `alternative' sources of energy.
And bio-fuel does figure in this picture.

http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/10250

----- Original Message -----

From: Pankaj Oudhia

To: jatropha@...

Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 9:37 AM

Subject: [jatropha] Re: On biodiesel and perpetual motion ?

Thanks Viren for your message. Here is minor correction in your
message. You have written.

'jatorpha has deveolped allelotrophic properties'

In fact Jatropha *possess* Allelopathic properties. It secrets so many
allelochemicals in soil. These allelochemicals inhibit growth of
native flora. Hence large scale plantation of such plants having
strong allelochemicals is curse for biodiversity.

When I was in Agriculture university I conducted small trial to study
allelopathic effect of Jatropha on Pigeonpea. Here is reference. This
lab study showed that Jatropha extracts are harmful to this crop
widely cultivated in crop bund where Jatropha plantation is in
progress in many parts of India including in Chhattisgarh.

http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=reference&ReferenceID=556604

Through on-going surveys I have listed over 500 native species
affected by Jatropha allelopathy.

What is status of pest infestation in Jatropha in your state?

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

--- In jatropha@yahoogroups.co.in, "Viren Lobo" <vlobo62@...> wrote:
>
>
> The Government policy on Biodiesel is based heavily on jatropha,
which they say can grow anywhere . particularly on wastelands and with
very little water .. .. To grow sucessfully in such conditions,
jatorpha has deveolped allelotrophic properties. ...... So what will
happen when millions of hectares are put under this plant ? The cut
paste from Robert Mc Arthurs book on Geographicla ecology shows that
under Gaus principle... no two species can live in the same niche ...
There has to be two distinct niches for them to exist .... The multi
species of the wet tropics, makes use of abundance to create such
multiple niches . In desert and semi desert conditions, a number of
unqiue niches are also created to use sun, rain and the nutireints
present in the soil.... What is the understanding of the those who in
thier wisdom think that jatropha is an answer to Inida's fuel crisis ???
>
>
> Viren
>
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------

>
> Some snippets from Robert Mc Arthurs book on Geographical ecology
>
>
> To do science is to search for repeated patterns not simply to
accumulate facts and to do the science of geographical ecology is to
search for patters of plant and animal life that can be put on amp .
>
> The theme running though this book is that he structure of the
environment , the morphology of the species , the economics of species
behaviour and the dynamics of population changes are the four
essential ingredients of all interesting biogeographic patterns ..
>
> Impact of adaibatics
>
> The derivation of adiabatic lapse rate is simple using the first
law of thermodynamics , the ideal gas law , and the rate of pressure
change with elevation . But since each of these has its own empirical
constraints , it is no greaer burden simply to assume the lapse rate
as an empirical rule . The derivation does show however that the
cooling rate is approximately constant....... We can now see why
mountaintops are cooler than lower elevations. In fact 3^F cooling of
100 feet of elevation on a moist mountain is very roughly equal to the
cooling of 100 miles of latitude , which has been called " hopkins
bioclimatic law " .
>
> now we suppose there is a small parcel of air being lifted by the
turbulence and cooling adiabatically f course as it rises . This air
finds itself less cool than the neighbouring air at each elevation and
hence it is lighter and continues to rise sucking up the air behind
it. .. this is called unstable. air which cools slower than than
adiabatic is stable and not vulnerable to eddies and disturbances ....
Warm air over a cold nocturnal desert is stable but gives way to
unstable air and dust deveils as the desert warms up in the day time .
>
>
> On competition
>
> For years ecologists were plaugued by an apparent paradox. many
species seemed to coexist in nature but not in the laboratory
experiments .. ...There has arisen from these and similar experiments
a widely accepted belief called the principle of competitive exclusion
or gause's principle .. The principle states that two species cannot
coexist unless they are doing differnt things or more baldly unless
there are two nches
>
> some terms
>
> competitor similarity - the more similar the competing species,
the smaller their zone of geographic or habitat overlap
>
> diffuse competition - sevarla competitors which can outcompete a
single species.
>
> resource overlap - the coexistence of two or more competitors
becomes rapidly more preacrious as the distance between their resource
mean approaches root 2 times thier standard deviation
>
> geographic sequences - along a geographic continuum two
competitors may be found in either of the following sequences 1. one
species then both , then the other 2. one species , then a vacant
zone , then the other .
>
> Volterra's thoery on competition
>
> equation to explain coexistence or one species replacing another.
>
>
> The economics of consumer choice
>
> Thus from a foraging birds point of view , there is a great
diversity of foliage types , from tree trunks to loose canopy , to
bushes to herbaceous ground cover , but each is repeated so that a
tree trunk feeder for example can find many trunks to search . This
postulate at least is required because it means that a searching bird
will have a fairly clear staititical .
>
>
> Functional morphology
>
> Some sort of continuity principle seems to be minimal: that nearby
morphologies are adapted for nearby methods of harvesting food.
>
>
> Cody 1971 has studied the economics of flocking behaviour of
fringillid species in the Mohave desert . He argues that foraging
flocks accomplish two things that are are not readily accomplished by
an individual acting independantly . First exploited vs unexploited
areas are more easily recognised with the result that S is reduced .
Second int he case of renewable resources flock behaviour can evolve
in such a wya as to optimze the return time to previous expoited areas.
>
> Compression hypothesis
>
> As the number of competing species incress feeding habitats
contract and the actual range of food items taken either remains
constant or actually increases slightly . .... Ocassionally however
the competitors may reduce the food in a species own favoured
location. In such situations the effect would be to increase the
species range of foraging species.
>
>
> The ringed kingfisher . should perch so that the greatest number
of grams of fish per day can be captured . so it perches high enough
to search a wide area for big fish .. but notice how this restricts
its diet : by perching so high so that it can survey a large area, it
can no longer see the very small fish .. and even if it did the
energy expended would not compensate for the long dive...
>
>
> Viren
>

Thanks Shubhranshu Choudhary ji for forwarding this news.

Moderator
------


Top scientists warn against rush to biofuel

Brown plans to resist EU plans for increased quotas as doubts multiply

     * James Randerson and Nicholas Watt
     * The Guardian,
     * Tuesday March 25 2008
     * Article history

About this article
Close
This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday March 25 2008 on p1
of the Top stories section. It was last updated at 01:56 on March 25 2008.
Trucks are loaded with sugar cane, which will be used to produce
biofuels, in Brazil

Trucks are loaded with sugar cane, which will be used to produce
biofuels, in Brazil. Photograph: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters

Gordon Brown is preparing for a battle with the European Union over
biofuels after one of the government's leading scientists warned they
could exacerbate climate change rather than combat it.

In an outspoken attack on a policy which comes into force next week,
Professor Bob Watson, the chief scientific adviser at the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said it would be wrong to
introduce compulsory quotas for the use of biofuels in petrol and
diesel before their effects had been properly assessed.

"If one started to use biofuels ... and in reality that policy led to
an increase in greenhouse gases rather than a decrease, that would
obviously be insane," Watson said. "It would certainly be a perverse
outcome."

Under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, all petrol and diesel
must contain 2.5% of biofuels from April 1. This is designed to ensure
that Britain complies with a 2003 EU directive that 5.75% of petrol
and diesel come from renewable sources by 2010.

But scientists have increasingly questioned the sustainability of
biofuels, warning that by increasing deforestation the energy source
may be contributing to global warming.

Watson's warning was echoed last night by Professor Sir David King,
who recently retired as the government's chief scientific adviser. He
said biofuel quotas should be put on hold until the results were known
of a review which has been commissioned by ministers.

"What is absolutely desperately needed within government are people of
integrity who will state what the science advice is under whatever
political pressure or circumstances," he said.

The EU plans to raise the compulsory biofuel quota to 10% by 2020, but
Brown is understood to be ready to challenge this plan. A senior
government source said last night: "There is a growing feeling that we
need to get all the facts. Some biofuels are OK but there are serious
questions about others. More work needs to be done."

Sources say the government has no choice but to implement the
guidelines next month because Britain is obliged under EU law to
comply with the 2010 target.

But the report on biofuels, to come from the head of the Renewable
Fuels Agency, Professor Ed Gallagher, may be used to challenge the
more ambitious target for 2020, which is not set in law.

John Beddington, the government's current chief scientific adviser,
has already expressed scepticism about biofuels. At a speech in
Westminster this month he said demand for biofuels from the US had
delivered a "major shock" to world agriculture, which was raising food
prices globally. "There are real problems with the unsustainability of
biofuels," he said, adding that cutting down rainforest to grow the
crops was "profoundly stupid".

Britain will move cautiously in its battle with Brussels because José
Manuel Barroso, the European commission president, is championing the
10% target for 2020. Barroso this month dismissed as "exaggerated"
claims that biofuels can lead to increases in food prices and
greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation. But other members of
the commission and other countries, including Germany, sympathise with
Britain.

Brown was due to release a report touching on issues including
biofuels, when he met Barroso in Brussels last month. But the prime
minister decided that the time was "not right or ripe".

The prime minister made clear that Britain is wary of the target when
he said last November: "I take extremely seriously concerns about the
impact of biofuels on deforestation, precious habitats and on food
security, and the UK is working to ensure a European sustainability
standard is introduced as soon as possible, and we will not support an
increase in biofuels over current target levels until an effective
standard is in place."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/25/biofuels.energy1

Thanks Viren for your message. Here is minor correction in your
message. You have written.

'jatorpha has deveolped allelotrophic properties'


In fact Jatropha *possess* Allelopathic properties. It secrets so many
allelochemicals in soil. These allelochemicals inhibit growth of
native flora.  Hence large scale plantation of such plants having
strong allelochemicals is curse for biodiversity.

When I was in Agriculture university I conducted small trial to study
allelopathic effect of Jatropha on Pigeonpea. Here is reference. This
lab study showed that Jatropha extracts are harmful to this crop
widely cultivated in crop bund where Jatropha plantation is in
progress in many parts of India including in Chhattisgarh.

http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=reference&ReferenceID=556604

Through on-going surveys I have listed over 500 native species
affected by Jatropha allelopathy.


What is status of pest infestation in Jatropha in your state?

regards

Pankaj Oudhia


--- In jatropha@..., "Viren Lobo" <vlobo62@...> wrote:
>
>
> The Government  policy on Biodiesel  is based heavily on jatropha,
which they say can grow anywhere . particularly on wastelands and with
very little water ..  .. To grow sucessfully in such conditions,
jatorpha has deveolped allelotrophic properties.  ......  So what will
happen when millions of hectares are put under this plant ?  The cut
paste from Robert Mc Arthurs book on Geographicla ecology shows that
under Gaus principle... no two species can live in the same niche ...
There has to be two distinct niches for them to exist .... The multi
species of the wet tropics, makes use of abundance to create such
multiple niches . In desert and semi desert conditions,  a number of
unqiue niches are also created  to use sun, rain and the nutireints
present in the soil.... What is the understanding of the those  who in
thier wisdom think that jatropha is an answer to Inida's fuel crisis ???
>
>
> Viren
>
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------

>
>   Some snippets from Robert Mc Arthurs book on Geographical ecology
>
>
>   To do science is to search for repeated patterns not simply to
accumulate facts and to do the science of geographical ecology is to
search for patters of plant and animal life that can be put on amp .
>
>   The theme running though this book is that he structure of the
environment , the morphology of the species , the economics of species
behaviour and the dynamics of population changes are the four
essential ingredients of all interesting biogeographic patterns ..
>
>   Impact of adaibatics
>
>   The derivation of adiabatic lapse rate is simple using the first
law of thermodynamics , the ideal gas law , and the rate of pressure
change with elevation . But since each of these has its own empirical
constraints , it is no greaer burden simply to assume the lapse rate
as an empirical rule . The derivation does show however that the
cooling rate is approximately constant....... We can now see why
mountaintops are cooler than lower elevations. In fact 3^F cooling of
100 feet of elevation on a moist mountain is very roughly equal to the
cooling of 100 miles of latitude , which has been called " hopkins
bioclimatic law " .
>
>   now we suppose there is a small parcel of air being lifted by the
turbulence and cooling adiabatically f course as it rises . This air
finds itself less cool than the neighbouring air at each elevation and
hence it is lighter and continues to rise  sucking up the air behind
it. .. this is called unstable.  air which cools slower than than
adiabatic is stable and not vulnerable to eddies and disturbances ....
Warm air over a cold nocturnal desert is stable but gives way to
unstable air and dust deveils as the desert warms up in the day time .
>
>
>   On competition
>
>   For years ecologists were plaugued by an apparent paradox. many
species seemed to coexist in nature but not in the laboratory
experiments .. ...There has arisen from these and similar experiments
a widely accepted belief called the principle of competitive exclusion
or gause's principle .. The principle states that two species cannot
coexist unless they are doing differnt things or more baldly unless
there are two nches
>
>   some terms
>
>   competitor similarity  - the more similar the competing species,
the smaller their zone of geographic or habitat overlap
>
>   diffuse competition - sevarla competitors which can outcompete a
single species.
>
>   resource overlap - the coexistence of two or more competitors
becomes rapidly more preacrious as the distance between their resource
mean approaches root 2 times thier standard deviation
>
>   geographic sequences - along a geographic continuum two
competitors may be found in either of the following sequences 1. one
species then both , then the other  2. one species , then a vacant
zone , then the other .
>
>   Volterra's thoery on competition
>
>   equation to explain coexistence or one species replacing another.
>
>
>   The economics of consumer choice
>
>   Thus from a foraging birds point of view , there is a great
diversity of foliage types , from tree trunks to loose canopy , to
bushes to herbaceous ground cover , but each is repeated so that a
tree trunk feeder for example can find many trunks to search . This
postulate at least is required because it means that a searching bird
will have  a fairly clear staititical   .
>
>
>   Functional morphology
>
>   Some sort of continuity principle seems to be minimal: that nearby
morphologies are adapted for nearby methods of harvesting food.
>
>
>   Cody 1971  has studied the economics of flocking behaviour of
fringillid species in the Mohave desert . He argues that foraging
flocks accomplish two things that are are not readily accomplished by
an individual acting independantly . First exploited vs unexploited
areas are more easily recognised with the result that S is reduced .
Second int he case of renewable  resources flock behaviour can evolve
in such a wya as to optimze the return time to previous expoited areas.
>
>   Compression hypothesis
>
>   As the number of competing species incress feeding habitats
contract and the actual range of food items taken either remains
constant or actually increases slightly . .... Ocassionally however
the competitors may reduce the food in a species own favoured
location. In such situations the effect would be to increase the
species range of foraging species.
>
>
>   The ringed  kingfisher . should perch so that the greatest number
of grams of fish per day can be captured . so it perches high enough
to search  a wide area for big fish ..   but notice how this restricts
its diet : by perching so high so that it can survey a large area, it
can no longer see the very small fish  .. and even if it did the
energy expended would not compensate for the long dive...
>
>
>   Viren
>

Some snippets from Robert Mc Arthurs book on Geographical ecology

 

 

To do science is to search for repeated patterns not simply to accumulate facts and to do the science of geographical ecology is to search for patters of plant and animal life that can be put on amp .

 

The theme running though this book is that he structure of the environment , the morphology of the species , the economics of species behaviour and the dynamics of population changes are the four essential ingredients of all interesting biogeographic patterns ..

 

Impact of adaibatics

 

The derivation of adiabatic lapse rate is simple using the first law of thermodynamics , the ideal gas law , and the rate of pressure change with elevation . But since each of these has its own empirical constraints , it is no greaer burden simply to assume the lapse rate as an empirical rule . The derivation does show however that the cooling rate is approximately constant....... We can now see why mountaintops are cooler than lower elevations. In fact 3^F cooling of 100 feet of elevation on a moist mountain is very roughly equal to the cooling of 100 miles of latitude , which has been called " hopkins bioclimatic law " .

 

now we suppose there is a small parcel of air being lifted by the turbulence and cooling adiabatically f course as it rises . This air finds itself less cool than the neighbouring air at each elevation and hence it is lighter and continues to rise  sucking up the air behind it. .. this is called unstable.  air which cools slower than than adiabatic is stable and not vulnerable to eddies and disturbances .... Warm air over a cold nocturnal desert is stable but gives way to unstable air and dust deveils as the desert warms up in the day time .

 

 

On competition

 

For years ecologists were plaugued by an apparent paradox. many species seemed to coexist in nature but not in the laboratory experiments .. ...There has arisen from these and similar experiments a widely accepted belief called the principle of competitive exclusion or gause's principle .. The principle states that two species cannot coexist unless they are doing differnt things or more baldly unless there are two nches

 

some terms

 

competitor similarity  - the more similar the competing species, the smaller their zone of geographic or habitat overlap

 

diffuse competition - sevarla competitors which can outcompete a single species.

 

resource overlap - the coexistence of two or more competitors becomes rapidly more preacrious as the distance between their resource mean approaches root 2 times thier standard deviation

 

geographic sequences - along a geographic continuum two competitors may be found in either of the following sequences 1. one species then both , then the other  2. one species , then a vacant zone , then the other .

 

Volterra's thoery on competition

 

equation to explain coexistence or one species replacing another.

 

 

The economics of consumer choice

 

Thus from a foraging birds point of view , there is a great diversity of foliage types , from tree trunks to loose canopy , to bushes to herbaceous ground cover , but each is repeated so that a tree trunk feeder for example can find many trunks to search . This postulate at least is required because it means that a searching bird will have  a fairly clear staititical   .

 

 

Functional morphology

 

Some sort of continuity principle seems to be minimal: that nearby morphologies are adapted for nearby methods of harvesting food.

 

 

Cody 1971  has studied the economics of flocking behaviour of fringillid species in the Mohave desert . He argues that foraging flocks accomplish two things that are are not readily accomplished by an individual acting independantly . First exploited vs unexploited areas are more easily recognised with the result that S is reduced . Second int he case of renewable  resources flock behaviour can evolve in such a wya as to optimze the return time to previous expoited areas.

 

Compression hypothesis

 

As the number of competing species incress feeding habitats contract and the actual range of food items taken either remains constant or actually increases slightly . .... Ocassionally however the competitors may reduce the food in a species own favoured location. In such situations the effect would be to increase the species range of foraging species.

 

 

The ringed  kingfisher . should perch so that the greatest number of grams of fish per day can be captured . so it perches high enough to search  a wide area for big fish ..   but notice how this restricts its diet : by perching so high so that it can survey a large area, it can no longer see the very small fish  .. and even if it did the energy expended would not compensate for the long dive...

 

 

Viren  

 

 

 

Be cautious about biofuels talk


Publication Date: 3/20/2008

I wish to take issue with your editorial (DN March 11, 2008) on the
potential for biofuel in East Africa.

It was misleading to state, “we have the land and the climate”.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The large areas of empty land
are semi-arid or arid, while the sunny climate is only suitable to
bronze tourists and the occasional rain produces a few weeks poor
grazing per year.

Brazil is often cited as the example for its biofuel production, but
it is fortunate in having large areas of arable land with reliable
rainfall and can produce high yields of sugar efficiently.  No similar
possibility exists in Kenya, but the alternative use of semi-arid
areas to grow jatropha trees and process the oil into biodiesel is
regularly proposed and is being implemented on a limited scale.

The news of a new investment in unproven technologies may make good
headlines but so often that is all that is heard of the project.

T. B. MUCKLE,
Naro Moru

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=23&newsid\
=119393

Chinese biofuel 'could endanger biodiversity'

Spike Millington, chief technical advisor to the European Union-China
Biodiversity Programme, raised the problem earlier this month (7
March) at the International Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate
Change, held in Beijing, China.



In July 2007, China released its middle- and long-term plan for
renewable energy. While shunning corn or soya-based biofuel production
to avoid endangering food security, the plan encourages the
development of non-grain biofuels, including cassava- and
sorghum-based ethanol in northeast and south China, and jatropha-based
biodiesel in southwest China's Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.



In line with the national plan, companies and government agencies
including PetroChina, the State Forestry Administration and local
governments in Sichuan and Yunnan have revealed ambitious plans to
develop jatropha-based biodiesel projects.



But Millington said, "The region of southwest China targeted for
biofuels coincides with the home of the last remaining intact natural
forests in China." He added that the degraded forests in the area also
play an important role in biodiversity.



Millington is echoed by Chen Shengliang, a biologist at Chongqing
Environmental Protection Bureau in southwest China.



"The rapid growth of single species of jatropha trees could inhibit
other plants such as grasses," Chen told SciDev.Net.



Liu Xuehua, an associate professor of environment at Tsinghua
University, adds that land classed as idle is often not empty land,
and can be home to diverse undomesticated species.



To cope with potential risks, Millington recommends that environmental
assessment is carried out to distinguish high biodiversity areas from
low biodiversity areas that are suitable for jatropha trees or other
biofuel plants.



The workshop organiser, the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA) â€" which became the Ministry of Environment this
week (15 March) at the annual plenary meeting of the National People’s
Congress â€" announced earlier this month (6 March) that it is
initiating a major research programme to evaluate the impacts of
climate change on national biodiversity.



In addition, according to a paper published by scientists at the
University of California in Berkeley in the Journal of Environmental
Economics and Management last week (10 March), China's carbon dioxide
emissions are growing faster than previously estimated.



The country's annual growth rate of carbon emissions between 2004 and
2010 could be more than 11 per cent, instead of the 2.5â€"5 per cent
growth predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=3116

Senators blame Arroyo for rice crisis

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:18:00 03/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- From the fertilizer scam to hybrid rice to
jatropha, senators are blaming President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for
the looming rice crisis and for making the Philippines the world's
biggest importer of the cereal.

“The rice crisis should be addressed and taken seriously by the
government. The root cause is not only external shocks but issues
related to high cost of inputs; absence or lack of forward planning;
and the shift to corn and jatropha,'' said Senator Francis Escudero in
a text message.

For full article visit at
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080317-125292/Senators-b\
lame-Arroyo-for-rice-crisis

Jatropha curcus poisoning in pediatric patients, Mauritius

Deepak Kumar Rai, MD pediatrics

Parul Lakhanpal, MD Pharmacology

Abstract
Background: Jatropha curcas (Physic nut; Hindi - Jungle Erandi) is
commonly known with the name of pignon d'Inde in Mauritius. It is
planted in Mauritius just because of one common myth that it keeps all
the bad evils away from the house. Though all parts of the plant are
poisonous, but its seeds are claimed to be highly poisonous.
Breakthrough of pignon d'Inde poisoning occurred in the year 2003,
where total of 11 cases were admitted on the same day with
gastrointestinal symptoms in one of the biggest hospital in Mauritius.
Aim: In this article, we have tried to discuss the details related to
the pignon d'Inde poisoning, clinical manifestations and its management.
Methods:Five year data of pignon d'Inde poisoning was collected
between 2002 till 2006 admitted in the pediatric unit of flacq
hospital ,Mauritius. In the year 2003, where total of 11 cases of
pignon d'Inde poisonings were reported ,7 children came on the same
day with gastrointestinal manifestations.
Results: All the children were treated symptomatically. They were kept
under observation for 24 hours and were discharged thereafter.
Conclusion: Though most children who ingest Jatropha curcus seeds do
not suffer much harm; however, health care providers must recognize,
assess, and manage the exposures causing serious injuries and initiate
the appropriate management to minimize the serious consequences that
could endanger the lives of the patients. The main objective of this
article is to make the practitioners and general population aware of
the potential dangers of pignon d'Inde seeds so as to minimize the
accidental pediatric poisoning emergencies and financial burden on the
community.

For full article please visit this link

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijpn/vol8n2/curcus.xml

Dear Group Members,

     Our member and active journalist Shri Rajesh Agrawal reported
through his blog that 9 children were hospitalized due to Jatropha
poisoning in Jashpurnagar of Indian state Chhattisgarh on March 16,
2008. For details please visit this blog.

http://cgreports.blogspot.com/2008/03/9.html

Thanks Rajesh ji for this information.

regards
Pankaj Oudhia

Claim: Jatropha is free from pest.

Reality: 11. http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=pdb&PdbID=105601

Pankaj Oudhia

Claim: Jatropha is free from pest.

Reality: 9. http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=pdb&PdbID=105040

Pankaj Oudhia

Claim: Jatropha is free from pest.

Reality: 7. http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=pdb&PdbID=105054

Pankaj Oudhia