19/3/06 (NSTP)  -  n the face of escalating oil prices and the search for alternative fuels comes a modest plant with big promise, writes ELIZABETH JOHN.

WHEN Jasin Member of Parliament Datuk Mohd Said Yusof mentioned Jatropha curcas in Parliament this week, it produced puzzled looks.

Till then, few had heard of the bushy, green shrub, which Said was championing as a sterling commercial crop.

Native to the South American region, the seeds of Jatropha curcas, or jarak, produce an oil that can be converted into biodiesel.

And that is exactly why Said, who was lamenting the punishing price of petroleum, wants it to be cultivated here.

The Jatropha curcas is widely cultivated in the developing world and the oil used as fuel in diesel engines, as a lubricant, in soap production, to light oil lamps and is also known to contain an insecticide.

But the real interest revolves around its use as an alternative fuel because biodiesel produced from Jatropha oil is said to be superior or comparable to many of the plant-based fuels being developed or already available in the market.

Early laboratory tests have shown that the diesel from Jatropha curcas has, among others, the iodine value, cloud point and pour point highly desirable in biodiesel.

Perhaps the best feature of the plant is that it is not a demanding crop and no one knows this better than one of Malaysia’s most eminent researchers who has been planting them in his backyard and studying their properties closely.

Tan Sri B.C. Sekhar, who has headed the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) and been the founder and chairman of the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM), speaks passionately about this unpretentious plant.

"All you need is a few seeds in the ground," he says, pointing to a batch of plants in the backyard of his Petaling Jaya home, which are in the early stages of development.

In three days, the plant begins to sprout and in six to nine months, it starts yielding the small spherical apple green pods that contain the seeds from which the oil is extracted.

"It loves the sun, doesn’t really care about the soil and has no complaints about the rain," says Sekhar.

Thus far, the plant’s growth has been satisfactory even without fertiliser and it hasn’t been attacked by pests.

Curiously, even goats will not chew on the Jatropha curcas inviting broad leaves, says Sekhar.

It is also shorter than most commercial crops — about two to three metres high — making it easy to prune and the pods, harvestable by hand.

This would make Jatropha curcas the perfect crop for the rural farmer and smallholder, he suggests.

They could operate a one to three-hectare sized plot without the need to employ more farm workers.

This socio-economic aspect of the plant comes as no surprise as it has been widely used in poverty alleviation schemes in many countries.

It would be the kind of crop that a single mother or a displaced estate worker could easily cultivate with just a little bit of land.

It could also prove the ideal candidate to wean farmers in Kelantan away from tobacco cultivation, Sekhar adds.

The crushing, milling and methylation of Jatropha curcas oil, of course, should be carried out in a central plant.

Ever the meticulous planner, Sekhar, who is credited with having provided the best environment for the development of Malaysia’s rubber industry, has already thought out how the scheme should work.

He recommends the establishment of a central government agency that would purchase the seeds from the farmers and would be responsible for the processing of the oil as well as providing improved strains of the plant to farmers.

Jatropha curcas oil is converted into diesel in the same way palm oil is, therefore it should pose no difficulties for Malaysia that already has the expertise and technology for biodiesel plants, says Sekhar.

The crop can also be grown alongside oil palm.

"If this is the case, the oil palm industry can pay undivided attention to the quality of RBD, the refined, bleached, deodorised oil used for cooking or in the food industry.

"Jatropha, in the meantime, can attend to the biodiesel issue.

"When the price of RBD falls, the palm oil can complement the Jatropha biodiesel, making subsidies unnecessary," Sekhar says.

Sekhar has calculated that under Malaysian climatic conditions, Jatropha curcas could yield five tonnes of diesel oil per hectare and that could climb to between seven and 10 tonnes per hectare in another five years.

Sekhar’s calculations show an initial scheme will see a capital outlay of about RM120 million for two biodiesel plants and related facilities, with a pay-back period not exceeding seven years.

Returns on investments are expected to be over 35 per cent.

It would mean added income, self sufficiency in diesel in Malaysia and a new export serving the European and US markets.

With just Sekhar's research and a small plot cultivated on an experimental basis now by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, we still have much to learn about the plant.

Sekhar has approached the Agriculture Ministry to initiate the scheme in co-operation with the National Association of Smallholders.

He hopes that any national biofuel policy being drawn up will include this promising plant and that the Jatropha curcas will find its place in the sun.