Date:14/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/14/stories/2006121401510400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rs. 20 crore earmarked for biofuel development

Staff Reporter

FINDING ALTERNATIVE SOURCES: Bandeppa Kashempur (second from right), Minister for Agriculture, having a word with E. Venkataiah (right), Commissioner of Agriculture, at the inauguration of a workshop inZ Bangalore on Wednesday. A.K. Goel (left), Dir ector, Petroleum Conservation Research Association, and Kinsuk Mitra, president, Winrock International India, are seen. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: The race to find alternatives to fossil fuels and reduce dependence on petrol and diesel is hotting up, and India is ahead of others in the region. However, Thailand tops in renewable energy with 17 per cent of the fuel consumption being drawn from alternative sources, while India is looking at reaching a 10 per cent target by 2010.

These details were shared by Amit Kumar, programme manager, energy and environment, Winrock International India, at a regional workshop, "Pro BIOS: Biofuels for sustainable development in Karnataka" here on Wednesday.

Thailand is exploring the use of cassava (from which tapioca is made), as a source of ethanol instead of molasses, and in a bid to shift from edible oils as a source of biofuel, it has taken jatropha seeds from India, according to Mr. Kumar.

Elsewhere, Bangladesh's new national energy policy has decided to levy a cess of two takas on petrol to discourage its consumption. It is also going ahead with exploration of its vast reserves of CNG and LNG, something that India is keen to import.

Sri Lanka has a road map to achieve 20 per cent share of biofuels of the fuel consumption by 2020, and is exploring the use of surplus coconut oil as a source.

Winrock has joined hands with various government agencies, and the British High Commission, in an experiment to electrify a village in Chattisgarh entirely on biofuel.

In India, there are many initiatives to promote biofuels, and a biofuels policy was adopted in 2002 wherein oil companies would purchase biodiesel from producers at Rs. 25 per litre.

The industry is gearing up to meet the biodiesel demand in the country for a five per cent blend with diesel.

Since November 1, the use of blended fuel has become mandatory, A.K. Goel, Director, Petroleum Conservation Research Association, has said.

Mr. Goel has said that the National Mission on Biofuels is in place, and the Rural Development Ministry has been made the nodal agency to identify non-forest wastelands where plantations of jatropha and pongamia can be grown.

In the State, 7.8 lakh hectares of wastelands is available for greening by growing biofuel plants.

Agriculture Minister Bandeppa Kashempur, who inaugurated the workshop, said the State had been a pioneer in biofuels, and this time, Rs. 20 crore had been earmarked in the Budget for biofuel development.

Additional Director of Agriculture K.V. Sarvesh said the Agriculture Department had set up two model biofuel farms in Kithaganahalli (Bangalore) and Kadajji (Davangere) research and development activities were being accelerated, particularly after the Government sanctioned Rs. 37 crore for a biofuel park in Hassan district.