MOU signed for cultivation of Jatropha in Pakistan
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Kijani Energy (KE), a sustainable energy company of Canada, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to focus on the development of large-scale cultivation of Jatropha Curcas L (Jatropha), which was an environmentally and cost-effective source of bio-diesel.
Chairman, PARC Dr. Zafar Altaf and Vice President KE Junaid Mirza signed the MoU. Dr Shahid Ahmad, Member Natural Resources Division; Dr Muhammad Munir, Member Plant Sciences Division and Dr Khalid Mehmood, PSO witnessed the signing of MoU.
Under the agreement both the organizations would jointly work for the promotion of Jatropha cultivation to develop bio-fuel culture in Pakistan. Objectives of the MoU was to undertake Jatropha cultivation in mass scale, to investigate the potential of Jatropha, including on marginal and semi-marginal lands with the consideration that such areas should not have been used for food agriculture in the last five year period, and educate farmers and industry with the benefits of growing and processing Jatropha.
Highlighting the objectives of the agreement the PARC chief said Pakistan was facing serious energy crisis, meeting its energy and transport requirements by importing fuel. Pakistan was spending about $3.1 billion on the import of petroleum products. “These imports account for almost 85 percent of Pakistan’s total consumption of fuel and almost one-third of Pakistan’s trade deficit,” he maintained. With the cultivation of Jatropha as bio-fuel the country would be able to save as much as $150 million in foreign exchange for every hectares of Jatropha cultivated in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion Junaid Mirza of the KE Canada said his company would invest $150 million during the next five years for cultivation and production of Jatropha. The feasibility reports of Cholistan and Thar areas had been conducted and found ideal locations for cultivation of Jatropha. He said the areas identified were mostly not being used for food agriculture.
Chairman, PARC Dr. Zafar Altaf and Vice President KE Junaid Mirza signed the MoU. Dr Shahid Ahmad, Member Natural Resources Division; Dr Muhammad Munir, Member Plant Sciences Division and Dr Khalid Mehmood, PSO witnessed the signing of MoU.
Under the agreement both the organizations would jointly work for the promotion of Jatropha cultivation to develop bio-fuel culture in Pakistan. Objectives of the MoU was to undertake Jatropha cultivation in mass scale, to investigate the potential of Jatropha, including on marginal and semi-marginal lands with the consideration that such areas should not have been used for food agriculture in the last five year period, and educate farmers and industry with the benefits of growing and processing Jatropha.
Highlighting the objectives of the agreement the PARC chief said Pakistan was facing serious energy crisis, meeting its energy and transport requirements by importing fuel. Pakistan was spending about $3.1 billion on the import of petroleum products. “These imports account for almost 85 percent of Pakistan’s total consumption of fuel and almost one-third of Pakistan’s trade deficit,” he maintained. With the cultivation of Jatropha as bio-fuel the country would be able to save as much as $150 million in foreign exchange for every hectares of Jatropha cultivated in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion Junaid Mirza of the KE Canada said his company would invest $150 million during the next five years for cultivation and production of Jatropha. The feasibility reports of Cholistan and Thar areas had been conducted and found ideal locations for cultivation of Jatropha. He said the areas identified were mostly not being used for food agriculture.
Labels: jatropha
posted by Hassan Qureshi at
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
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