Biofuel Conference Gets the Attention from Government,
Investors and Business Leaders
Representatives from 7 countries attended this unique Jatropha Event, bringing togther top industy leaders, plantation developers, technologies, investors, governmental, and researchers
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On April 1st – 4rd 2009 Jatropha World Costa Rica, hosted the Jatropha Harvest Experience Costa Rica 2009, a first of its kind event. This 4-day event is designed to educated attendees by verifying truths and dispelling myths about Jatropha Curcas, a native Central American tree commonly cited as one of the best candidates for future biodiesel production.
The events primary sponsors were The Costa Rica Seed Company and United Biofuels of America.
Jatropha Harvest Experience Costa Rica 2009 featured leaders in the biodiesel field with speakers representing private sector enterprises as well as governments and universities. In addition, a first of its kind hands-on workshop walked attendees through the entire Jatropha process at the Costa Rica Seed Company’s own 80 hectare (200 acre) plantation in Tarcoles, Costa Rica. The workshop began with a step-by-step tour through the planting, pruning, and harvesting of the Jatropha plant and concluded with demonstrations of the oil extracting and refining processes. Jatropha Harvest Experience Costa Rica 2009 brought together Jatropha producers, environmental engineers, scientific advisors, agronomists, refinery experts, investors, plantation owners and key governmental figures with the goal of advancing Jatropha as a reliable and renewable contributor to the global energy demands.
Jatropha Harvest Experience Costa Rica 2009, was held at the Marriot Los Sueños Ocean and Golf Resort, and featured speakers from Applied Research Associates, the University of Florida, CATIE (the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), CABI Caribbean & Latin America, among others...for the next event go to http://www.jatrophaworldcostarica.com
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Congratulation to the success of the conference.
I do hope that the informayion of Jatropha provided in the confernce would not misguide the investers and new comer regarding the the hard fact of relatively very low productivity yield and unsecured/unconsistency yield.
The proper cultivation methodologies with needed irrigation and fertilization would be pointed out.
All the past misguiding information have been rubbed out.
The success of the jatropha plantation should be a very promisong future eenrgy crop in the proper cultivation.
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Dear Chumroen, your brief comments are well founded. Having worked with the develoment of Jatropha this past decade I am well aware of the problems experienced at locations around the globe. In fact I can say that I know of no organisation that has successfully cultivated Jatropha Curcas Linn to produce quality harvest values. This includes all the "consultant" and improved seed claiming or technique and methodology outfits. However; I also know the reasons why the vast majority have failed to produce quality harvests. If you look at my web site you will observe the Thailand details. In 2004/5 we promoted the planting and intercropping of Jatropha at the locations illustrated. The trees were planted in locations were community involvement was simple and no inication of economic return, beyond land repair, was cited. Basically one of our associates took on the responsibility of travelling the areas and instigating extension work as well as training community members how to look after the trees. This resulted in very high quality yields at some of the locations and eventually the notion of a LOMSAK variety of Jatropha Curcas Linn. Now in 2009 we are observing high potential for the type of yield I illustrate on the web site. What we do not observe is proactive investors or purchasers for seed harvest values. On top of this I am finding it very difficult to raise the funds for the purchase of extraction/extrusion as well as Bio refinery technologies and related materials and technologies required to establish and improve (a) The Centre of Excellence (b) Complete agriculture to industry and delivery of end products operations. You will see on the Kilimanjaro Biofuels Tanzania part the estimated costs for a complete project in East Africa. Over the years I have identified more than 20 locations that have suitable characteristics and proximity to international airport servcies. Of course globally there are many more locations that could be considered (within the Jatropha belt) for sustainable Bio Jet Fuel. To be honest my review of other company investments suggests that many have no idea of the need to have a least cost delivery to market for Bio Fuel or that the Aviation industry offers this opportunity. There has been a lot of progress with Jatropha Curcas Linn this past 18 months or so but generally we should say that very few operations have been established with a clear view of the feasible value chains. Many projects have failed because the primary operatives have had no incentive or training with the management of Jatropha. This is why it is always required to have a centre of excellence and trained extension as well as research operatives in association. Well trained community members multi croping Jatropha Curcas Linn in the right locations produce quality yields. Too many investors/owners/companies forget that it is the attention of the primary farmer that delivers quality harvest value.
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Being traveling around the globe for Jatropha activities.
Can you confirm whether ther are any Jatropha strains with secured high yield .
It is hard to beleive thty the existed vareties would be able to to generate the productivityin term of Jatropha seeds to be processed into CJO matching with the hostoric and current or future market prices.
Such relatively low and unsecured yield is the main reason of the past failure including your former activities in Jatropha .
The only revenue generated from the CJO drived form such low yield will not allow Jatropha cultivation be econimical viable.
Without any more value craeating from the other Jatropha Biomass like Jatropha seed Cakes.+Pruned stems + Fruit hill etc .
It will be imposisble to success.
Jatropha is not really a new crop but s far there is no developemnt in the proper diectives.
All yopu did see in Thailand in the past few years were not more existed .
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http://sites.google.com/site/jclbjf/se-asia-thailand/THAILAND
This is the only location in the world one could actually purchase JCL harvests at a level that would justify investment in techology. Establishing the technology and process faclity at Phitsanulok Economic Development Zone has economic and practical value chain to market, least risk opportunity. After 5 years the trees are mature but is there anybody out there with the required 60 Million US for technology platform and operations estalishment and the funds to purchase the harvest values ??
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We are in Thailand and we did develop the Jatropha both up steam and down stream .
The technology for oil expelling is not complicate and expensive and w edid have teh proven technology being supplying the CJO for UOP for the jatropha Jet Fuel(Synthetic Parafinic Kerosene) for the three major airlines without any problem.
Funding to invest for the Jatropha trading will not be the issue
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The crtical problem is to get sunficicnces feeds tock of jatropha to prccess into the CJO at the economical viable commercially compared to all other Feed stock candidtaes like CPO , RSO and SYO.
Either hevay weight ivester or small farmers will not survive at the cost of the Jatropha seeds under usd 250-300 pmt which will be translated into tye cost of CJO over usd 1,200 pmt.
Unless there is the significant improvement to have very high yield varieties and the value creating for the Biomass from Jatropha both up and down stream (JSC + Fruit hull+ Pruned stems)to generate more revenue to earn more .
Jatropha will not be viale commercially
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Did you have a chance to audit teh reality of this information.
We are in thailand developing the project of Jatropha plantation .
So far we have never found any fact of planting acregas as claimed.
Plesse give more specific information sources who did release this untrue information.
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