Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said a joint venture between the Negros Occidental provincial government and the Philippine Forest Corp. aims to plant jatropha for the production of biodiesel on 37,571 has. in various parts of the province.

The program will start with a 1,000 has. model farm in Minoyan, Murcia, so that others will follow, he said.

We will show to the public that money can be gained by planting Jatropha, Marañon said.

Jatropha is a drought-resistant perennial shrub or small tree that has an economic life of up to 35 years and can live for 50 years. It grows fast, with little or no need for maintenance and can reach a height of 3 to 8 meters, he added.

Based on the experience of India, 3 kilos of Jatropha seeds can produce one liter of crude Jatropha oil for biodiesel production.

The provincial government-Philippine Forest Corp. plan has identified 5,433 has. for Jatropha in Candoni, 2,301 in Ilog, 1,000 has. in Murcia, 3,467 has. for Kanbankalan City, 6,933 has. for Himamaylan City, 10,000 has for San Carlos City, 3,437 has. for Calatrava and 5,000 has. for Cadiz City.*CPG

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