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Major thrust on bio-fuels in the offing
Monday, 19 May 2003, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI: India will give a major thrust to environment-friendly bio-fuels, produced from non-edible oilseeds and agricultural waste, with the launch of a 
200 billion project next month.
India, which depends on imports for 70 percent of its requirement of crude oil, has been looking for renewable sources of energy to reduce its reliance on overseas sources of fossil fuel and also to switch to more environment-friendly materials.
Through the new project, the rural development ministry plans to bring around 20 million hectares of wasteland under cultivation of high-yielding non-edible oilseeds to source raw material for bio-fuels.
"We have estimated that even if we bring 20 million hectares of land under cultivation of non-edible seeds, it would considerably reduce our dependence on hydrocarbon sources while providing a green belt and generating employment for thousands of people," Minister of State for Rural Development Annasahib M.K. Patil told IANS on the sidelines of an international conference on bio-fuels here Monday.
The project, which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will launch next month, will be implemented over the next five years and involve an investment of around 200 billion.
"With an annual investment of 40 billion, we plan to implement the project initially in nine states. The implementation will be done at the village level and the funds will be made available to cultivators directly through some rural based NGO or village panchayat (council)," said Patil.
Though years behind countries like Brazil, the U.S. and several European nations in its search for bio-fuels, India in January took a major step towards adoption of petrol blended with five percent ethanol, produced from sugarcane molasses or juice, as a transport fuel.
This ethanol-blended petrol is being made available in phases across the country with nine sugarcane growing states and five union territories expected to begin dispensing it from June once the required infrastructure is in place.
"We have had a breakthrough in our research for blending nine percent ethanol in diesel, which accounts for 42 million tonnes or around 40 percent of transport fuel utilised in the country," said Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh.
Studies have assessed that India produces 600 million tonnes of agriculture waste and 150 million tonnes of processing waste from agricultural products.
"If groundnut oil companies were to install shell-based gassifier systems, they could become self-reliant in energy up to refining stage," said Singh.
While the agriculture ministry is planning its own programme to help farmers and owners of sugarcane and other mills optimise their resources as well as produce grid quality power and ethanol through better utilisation of agriculture waste, the rural development ministry is pushing ahead with cultivation of non-edible oilseeds.
"Under the project of putting wasteland or arid land to better use, we plan to encourage cultivation of jatropha or rattanjyot, sal, karanja, kusum and mahua," said Patil.
Already, Indian Railways has set rolling a programme in cooperation with oil refining and marketing major Indian Oil Corporation to utilise diesel blended with five percent bio-diesel derived from jatropha seeds.
After a successful trial run earlier this year of an express train on the blended fuel, plans are afoot for large-scale cultivation of jatropha on 18,000 hectares of railway land.
"In addition, Punjab is pushing ahead with cultivation on non-edible oilseeds on 10,000 hectares of land while Gujarat has also initiated similar steps," said Patil.
Source: IANS
200 billion project next month.
India, which depends on imports for 70 percent of its requirement of crude oil, has been looking for renewable sources of energy to reduce its reliance on overseas sources of fossil fuel and also to switch to more environment-friendly materials.
Through the new project, the rural development ministry plans to bring around 20 million hectares of wasteland under cultivation of high-yielding non-edible oilseeds to source raw material for bio-fuels.
"We have estimated that even if we bring 20 million hectares of land under cultivation of non-edible seeds, it would considerably reduce our dependence on hydrocarbon sources while providing a green belt and generating employment for thousands of people," Minister of State for Rural Development Annasahib M.K. Patil told IANS on the sidelines of an international conference on bio-fuels here Monday.
The project, which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will launch next month, will be implemented over the next five years and involve an investment of around 200 billion.
"With an annual investment of 40 billion, we plan to implement the project initially in nine states. The implementation will be done at the village level and the funds will be made available to cultivators directly through some rural based NGO or village panchayat (council)," said Patil.
Though years behind countries like Brazil, the U.S. and several European nations in its search for bio-fuels, India in January took a major step towards adoption of petrol blended with five percent ethanol, produced from sugarcane molasses or juice, as a transport fuel.
This ethanol-blended petrol is being made available in phases across the country with nine sugarcane growing states and five union territories expected to begin dispensing it from June once the required infrastructure is in place.
"We have had a breakthrough in our research for blending nine percent ethanol in diesel, which accounts for 42 million tonnes or around 40 percent of transport fuel utilised in the country," said Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh.
Studies have assessed that India produces 600 million tonnes of agriculture waste and 150 million tonnes of processing waste from agricultural products.
"If groundnut oil companies were to install shell-based gassifier systems, they could become self-reliant in energy up to refining stage," said Singh.
While the agriculture ministry is planning its own programme to help farmers and owners of sugarcane and other mills optimise their resources as well as produce grid quality power and ethanol through better utilisation of agriculture waste, the rural development ministry is pushing ahead with cultivation of non-edible oilseeds.
"Under the project of putting wasteland or arid land to better use, we plan to encourage cultivation of jatropha or rattanjyot, sal, karanja, kusum and mahua," said Patil.
Already, Indian Railways has set rolling a programme in cooperation with oil refining and marketing major Indian Oil Corporation to utilise diesel blended with five percent bio-diesel derived from jatropha seeds.
After a successful trial run earlier this year of an express train on the blended fuel, plans are afoot for large-scale cultivation of jatropha on 18,000 hectares of railway land.
"In addition, Punjab is pushing ahead with cultivation on non-edible oilseeds on 10,000 hectares of land while Gujarat has also initiated similar steps," said Patil.
Source: IANS