Jatropha ‘not viable’ in Philippines

OFFICIALS of the Department of Energy (DOE) admitted that jatropha production is not viable in the Philippines and the plant, considered as source of biodiesel oil, is still in the demo and research stage with no substantial varietal species.

Director Zenaida Monsada said the Philippine National Oil Corp. (PNOC) jatropha plantations in Negros Island were stopped but research is ongoing for a jatropha species that may yield substantial diesel oil and viable in Philippine soil.

Other jatropha plantations in some areas in the country, including in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and Mindanao, were also stopped and put on hold pending the results of research and demonstration programs.

Monsada said other biodiesel plants include the coconut that remains as the most stable gasoline mix garnering at least two percent of the five percent oil power generation mix. However, DOE is not giving assistance to the coconut farmers since coconut remains a domain of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

The government has also stopped the research of diesel oil in corn and other food products with a policy that no extraction will be conducted on the food of the Filipinos.

Similarly, ethanol, a considered a by-product of sugar the industry in Negros Occidental has no excise tax if used for oil. However, the oil generation mix only use one percent of the actual ethanol use from local production and 80 percent are imported. (LCP/Sunnex)