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BIOFUELS IN INDIA Prospects and Problems "Biofuels does not have relevance in Indian context in view of land limitation

and food security." - Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Forest and Environment The biofuels had once again been dragged into the unnecessary dilemma of choosing between food security and energy security for India. The recent views expressed by the UnionForest and Environment Minister had once again provoked the died out debate on the utility and relevance of biofuels in India. The expression is absolutely on reverse track from the official line which had been pushing for a 20 per cent blend of biofuels in gasoline and diesel by 2017. In fact there has been lot of efforts and resources been utilized on biofuels research and now a strange statement came up against the development. Though in general the panic amongst the people regarding exploration of Biofuels as viable option for non-fossil fuel energy source is not really obscure as the global recession that had hit the world in the recent times was been linked to the US obsession for diverting the food bowls of it for the biofuel production at the cost of food crops. US President had declared the aim of American Govt. to produce 160 Billion liter of biofuel by 2017. Even the staple food crop of the nation, that is, maize was grind and crushed to produce bioethanol and used to run automobiles there. Similar practice was followed by the other nations of the region that resulted in huge spur of food prices round the world and consequently fueled the inflation. The ultimate result was severe food security problems in all parts of the world, the worst hit of which were, of course, the poor African and Asian nations. Biofuel development and utilization has a number of socio-economic implications on a nation and on its various tangible and intangible resources. In this era of mounting oil prices (both in monetary and environmental terms) and combating Global Warming, quenching out all possible options for sake of cleaner energy has been becoming increasingly inevitable with all rationality intact. For this to take place, a closer look is needed over the geo-climatic conditions of Indiaand their correlation with the food production and biofuel generation. India being basically an agriculture based economy with large population to feed cannot afford to carve out some of its cultivable land for biofuel crop production. And when around 27.5% of its population has been dwelling below poverty line there is no possibility of grinding out bioethanol of edible crops! But strangely these facts can in no way hamper the relevance and significance of biofuels in the Indian context. Going deeper into the issue and analyzing the real picture can do the job. India & Jatropha: India has two major inedible plant sources of biofuel which hold potentially good prospects, areJatropha curcas and Pongamia pinnata. Both of these plants are Xerophytic (adapted to arid conditions) in nature and can be grown easily without competing with the food and the other cash crops. Out of these two, Jatropha curcas is a promising oil yield plant with presence of 30-35% of nonedible oil content is seeds. It is easy to multiplicate rapidly by various vegetative propagation methods like cutting and by seedlings. Research says that one hectare Jatropha plantation with 4000 plants in rain fed condition, yield as out 4000 to 5000 kg of seeds. The Biodiesel so generated can be used alone or mixed in any ratio with petrodiesel. Talking in terms of efficiency and economic value, though the efficiency of Jatrophas biodiesel is 3% less than that of usual Petrodiesel. But if, entire petrodiesel in India is blended with biodiesel with a proportion of 50 ml/liter (that is in 5% blending), the country could be able to save Rs. 4000 crore (4 Bn) every year. To get this 5% blend, India had to bring a total of 5 lakh hectares to be brought under Jatropha cultivation.

For taking into account the availability of this quantum of land in India, according to the data provided by the Economic Survey conducted by GoI, around 175 million hectares of wasteland and dryland is available in India, which is suitable for cultivation of plant like Jatropha &Pongamia. Therefore, Biofuel farming is a boon to all dryland farmers to get more money from their farms and wastelands, most of whom are marginal farmers of semi arid tropics. Rich cultivation of Jatropha Jatropha as a crop occurs on wild, bare lands and require little water to grow and flourish. It is best suited for the arid and semi-arid areas. Poor shallow soil, little inputs, scanty rainfall dont hasten its fast growth. Plant is not grazed by animals and it is highly pest & disease resistant. Moreover it is well suited for quick greening of wasteland and thus is best for eco-rehabititation and bio-aesthetic values. The additional benefits linked to the cultivation are immense and are no less than its major advantages. For instance, the leaves of J. cuscas are used to feed to rearing Eri silk worm to produce high quality silk. The production of protein from the left over seed residue after extraction of oil can be made into oil cakes which can be used as animal and fish feed. It also serves as good organic manure for the farming. The leaf, bark & seed extracts of Jatropha holds the medical value. The curcas oil that formed as the by-product of bioethanol is also used in soap industry, varnishes, lubricant and candle preparation. Thus in this way biofuel cultivation is likely to give employment to 20 lakhs of rural people directly or indirectly by getting involved in various activities of extraction, refinement and sale of the biofuel and its by-products. ICRISAT (International Crop Research Centre for semi arid tropics) has been actively engaged in research on biodiesel from Pongamia & Jatropha. It is not only linking the small and marginal farmers to global biofuel revolution but also contributing its bit in ensuring energy, livelihood and food security for them. Moreover, the research had claimed to bring down the use of fossil fuels, while in long run it would help in mitigating climate change. The rich prospects of biofuels have also been studied by the UNCTAD recently and had assessed biofuels as an industry for India. Assessment of Biofuel industry in India by UNCTAD UNCTAD had estimated that the current manufacturing cost of ethanol and biodiesel in India is about Rs. 21/litre ($0.46/litre), roughly the same as petrol and diesel. This puts biofuels in a favourable position for meeting Indias energy needs, especially as the cost of petroleum is expected to continue its upward trend. In India ethanol is produced by the fermentation of molasses a by-product of sugar manufacture. India is the fourth largest ethanol producer after Brazil, the United States and China, its average annual ethanol output amounts currently to 1,900 million litres with a distillation capacity of 2,900 million litres per year. The government has formulated an ambitious National Biodiesel Mission to meet 20 per cent of the countrys diesel requirements by 2011-2012. The main problem in getting the biodiesel programme rolling has been the difficulty in initiating the large-scale cultivation of Jatropha because farmers do not consider Jatropha cultivation rewarding enough. The government needs to sponsor confidence-building measures such as establishing a minimum support price for Jatropha oilseeds and assuring farmers of timely payments. In conclusion, the biofuels industry is poised to make important contributions to meet Indias energy needs by supplying clean, environmentally-friendly fuel. This year, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), an Indian research group, launched a 10-year, $9.4 million project to research issues involved in taking jatropha from seed to filling station. One challenge is growing the plant in poor soil. The first crops of jatropha, planted in what was wasteland, have now flowered, says Alok Adholeya, director of TERI's Biotechnology and Management of Bioresources division. "It proves that we can do

this," he says. He and other researchers at TERI spent five years testing different mycorrhiza microorganisms, symbiotic fungi that improve the ability of many plants to grow in poor soil. Adholeya's team found that the most effective was a fungus in the glomus species (he is not currently disclosing the exact fungus), which improves jatropha yields by 15 percent. The TERI project is working in rural Andra Pradesh, a state in southeast India, collaborating with local financial institutions to develop loan guarantees to fund seed purchases; it's also collaborating with insurers to back the farmers against potential losses. In addition, it had to educate the farmers on how to cultivate the plant. So far, the project has signed up 5,000 farmers representing 1,000 hectares of land. The goal is to have 8,000 hectares under cultivation by March 2008, and Adholeya says that the success of the first crops has drawn interest from many more farmers. By the end of 2008, TERI plans to have a production facility producing biodiesel from jatropha. Eventually, it aims to produce 90 million liters of biodiesel annually. Governmental plans for biofuels Union government had been pursuing an enthusiastic policy regarding development and use of biofuels. In the year 2008, the Indian Government had announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' that aimed to meet 20% of India's diesel demand with fuel derived from plants. That will mean setting aside 140,000 square kilometres of land for the Jatropha cultivation. Presently fuel yielding plants cover less than 5,000 square kilometers. In order to materialize the goals, the Energy and Resources Institute TERI had launched a 10-year, $9.4 million project to research issues involved in taking Jatropha from seed to filling station. The TERI project has been working in rural Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with local financial institutions to back the farmers against potential losses. In addition, it had to educate the farmers on how to cultivate the plant. So far, the project has signed up 5,000 farmers representing 1,000 hectares of land. The goal is to have 8,000 hectares under aiming to produce 90 million liters of biodiesel annually. CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) had set up a National Committee on Biofuels, consisting of Multi Stakeholders from all across the sector (Industry policy makers, experts & financial Institutional) has been working to mainstream the Biofuels in Indian Energy sector with a special focus on niche 1st generation and 2nd generation technologies, opening up of investment opportunities through commercially viable business model in effective Public Private Partnership (PPP) environment on the guidelines of the government. Conclusion India is currently worlds second fastest growing economy and its energy demand is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.8 per cent over the next couple of decades. Most of the energy requirements are currently satisfied by fossil fuels coal, petroleum-based products and natural gas. But in the era of climate change fight it has become imperative to explore all possible sources of energy. And if there is proper policy applied, enough food and fuel can be grown in this country to meet the demand of the population. To feed nationss population, increasing the yields per unit area must be the approach. India being in the abundant solar radiation zone, harvesting high amounts of biomass is not a problem. So the time has come to understand that biofuels have nothing related to food security, if right and balanced strategies are employed in the phased manner keeping in view the greater good.

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