Jatropha Dilip Gokhale IFAD, Rome, 10-11 April 2008.

Jatropha

Dilip Gokhale

IFAD, Rome, 10-11 April 2008

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Jatropha: Experience of Agro-Forestry & Wasteland Development Foundation, Nashik, India

Contents

Learnings from 17 years of jatropha cultivation Issues Next steps

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Jatropha: Experience of Agro-Forestry & Wasteland Development Foundation, Nashik, India

Started by Vinayakrao Patil, a local farmer Commercial plantation for 17 years from 1986 to 2003

– 1986: 8 acres

– At its peak in 1995: >20,000 acres (>8,000 ha)

– At the close in 2003: Nil (as farmers were frustrated and gradually shifted to other crops)

Number of farmers > 2,500 Elite Curcas varieties from world over Visits by persons from:

– World Bank Mission on Forestry, Hohenheim University, Swiss Development Corporation, Governments of India and Maharashtra (local state Govt.), several NGOs

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Jatropha: Learnings of Agro-Forestry & Wasteland Development Foundation, Nashik, India

Spacing of 3m X 3m is necessary for block plantation. Shorter spacing (2X2 or 3X2) is definitely unsuitable

For single row, hedge plantation, 2mX2m is fine Fertilizer application is necessary:

“If there is no input, there will be no output” is universally true

Pruning is necessary for optimum yield Sunlight is necessary for higher yield (the old rule) With irrigation, the vegetative growth is high but the

yield increase is not proportionate The seed yield stabilizes from the 7th year onwards

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3mX3m spacing necessary

Seven year old block planatation

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Pruning necessary


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The average yield, even after seven years, was <500 kg / acre per year of sun-dried seeds i.e.Less then 1.25 M.T. / ha per year

Consequently, after 17 years, it was decided to drop the project

The experience of other old projects is not different(e.g. Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation, started by Mahatma Gandhi)

Therefore, it is time now to take a pause, It is time for introspection …

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Jatropha: Issues

When one walks on a jatropha field, every plant looks different: Yield (uniformity)

– Branching

– Days to first flowering,

– Number of flushes in a year

– Female to male flower ratio

– No. of seeds per fruit

– Seed weight Oil content Oil quality Clear need to develop high yielding varieties and Seed multiplication / propagation

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Jatropha: Issues

Toxicity The varieties propagated are toxic It is fine to put a few M.T. of toxic cake in the soil as

fertilizer But can we put millions of M.T. of toxic waste year after

year? What impact will it have on underground water? On the soil?

Host to diseases (E.g. Cassava mosaic virus) A jatropha plantation can cause havoc to the

neighboring plantations e.g. cassava

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Jatropha: Conclusion and proposed actions

Conclusion The current plantations are not sustainable unless high

yielding varieties are introduced and their seed multiplication stabilized

If we continue with them, we risk creating many sick units

We cannot make farmers commit their lands for 50 years to uneconomic varieties

It will be a major disservice to jatropha Hence we should consider a temporary ban on further

plantation for the time being

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Next steps Invite seed industry expertise for varietal improvement

and seed multiplication Public-Private partnership may be considered in

– Breeding

– Marker development

– Seeds production / Propagation

Global communication necessary IFAD can play a major role in defining research

objectives and fund research together with industry

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Thanks

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Background: Emerging Realities in Agriculture…

• In short to medium term, crude oil price are likely to stay at around $ 100 / barrel or may even reach higher levels

• This will directly impact food prices on account of:

• Rise in demand for land use for biofuels crops and

• Higher cost of agricultural inputs (fertilizers, labour, pesticides as well as transport of goods to and from farm-gate)

• Countries having food surplus will divert some of their land for biofuels crops (e.g. U.S.A., Brazil)

• Population growth and rapid urbanization in the developing world will put further pressure on land available for food production

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Background: Emerging Realities in Agriculture…

Land hitherto considered unsuitable for agriculture will have to be brought under cultivation

Stress tolerant crops which can survive under severe agro-climatic conditions will have to be developed

Land productivity will have to substantially increase from its present level

Crops efficient in converting solar energy into stored energy (solid or liquid) will have to developed / adapted

New bio-fuel crops, hitherto not cultivated commercially viz. jatropha will unknown will

Jatropha Dilip Gokhale IFAD, Rome, 10-11 April 2008.

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