news/updates
PNOC unit to complete jatropha research in November
Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 18, 2007
PNOC alternative fuels Corp., A subsidiary of the Philippine National Oil Co., will complete in two months its research on what variety of jatropha to propagate in the country.
"Wide-scale scientific work on jatropha is being done by PNOC-AFC, concerned government agencies and the academe. There is an ongoing study to find out which is the best variety of jatropha that can be planted and is suitable in various parts of the country," PNOC-AFC president and chief executive Peer Anthony Abaya said.
"And while studies are on-going, we encourage private initiatives in the propagation of varieties of local provenance. Test, learn and build confidence," he added.
In an earlier interview, he said PNOC-AFC has spent nearly $3 million, for its research and development efforts.
For the nurseries alone, he said the company had spent about P52 million, or more than a third of what it had spent so far on R&D.
"We're still undergoing provenance testing. We've planted various varieties to test their behavior and their yield. Most likely, we'll use one of the varieties present in Mindanao and in Palawan," he said.
He explained that PNOC-AFC's R&D team, together with its partners at the Department of Science and Technology, had planted six to seven jatropha varieties. From these, the three best varieties would be recommended for propagation in planned plantations.
The local jatropha varieties that PNOC-AFC had already tested included those found in Genral Santos City, Davao, Palawan, Batangas, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.
"We're not being too aggressive in implementing the project because we want to be really careful. Jatropha plantations and refineries require huge investments, so we don't just want to plunge into this without being sure that the variety we'll propagate will produce the highest yield," abaya said.
"We're very sure about the potential of jatropha. What we're trying to be sure now, through our R&D efforts, is what variety is best for propagation," he said.
Former Agriculture Secretary William Dar had expressed reservations about the use of jatropha as a biodiesel feedstock, saying there was no assurance that this was a viable proposition.
"It's good PNOC_AFC is investing in R&D, particularly in testing various lines found in the country and even varieties developed in other countries. We should enhance this because it will take at least four to five years after which you can ascertain which lines/varieties are suited to which part of the country,' he said in an email to the Enquirer.
