UP to pioneer Jatropha research

LUCKNOW: Reiterating its commitment to join the national mission for biofuel generation, the UP government has decided to set-up a Jatropha Genetic Enhancement Research Centre (JGERC) in the state.
The state government gave this commitment to the Centre at a high-level meeting last month in New Delhi. Uttar Pradesh would be the first state in the country to set up a centre for research on jatropha, the high-quality and genetically-superior raw material for biofuel, with the help of Japan.
The state government is already in the process of seeking technical knowhow from the Japan government for mass production of jatropha in the state."We would import technology and high-quality jatropha seeds to begin plantation on a mass scale in the state," claims Navneet Sehgal, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology.
For this, directions are now being issued to the agriculture and forest department to make available about 100 acre of land to begin plantation. The state government has also agreed in principle to allocate 10 acre of land at Bakshi Ka Talaab for plantation of jatropha for ''demonstration'' purposes.
At present, farmers are skeptical on going for jatropha plantation as very little is known about the future bio-fuel. The department is now shifting its focus on increasing awareness and making available seeds as well as know-how to those interested in commercial production.
"Commercial production would slowly catch up and get a boost once the research centre is set up and farmers assured that their produce would yield high profits," says Sehgal.
The centre would not only carry out research to produce high-quality seeds but also impart training to farmers interested in its commercial production. The centre would also help other states to set up similar labs to promote commercial production of the future biofuel.
At present, the Biotech Park in Lucknow is serving as the nodal agency for promotion of jatropha plantation. The park has already supplied jatropha carcus plants and earned about Rs 18 lakh.
Reviewing the progress of the park, the Ministry of Information and Technology has agreed in principle to set up Bio-IT Park within the Biotech Park. The state government has already offered an acre of land in the park to the ministry to begin the venture.
Meanwhile, the state government has directed all the government departments to draft a policy of preferential purchase of the products of Biotech Park to offer better business opportunities to industries setting up their units at the park.