JATROPHA CURCAS: WHAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW
by Ted Mendoza , Oscar Zamora, Joven Lales
Faculty of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines at Los Banos
tcm_uplb77@yahoo.com

In the Philippines, agriculture is experiencing renewed popularity because of crops that are being considered as sources of renewable energy in response to the spiraling prices of non-renewable fossil fuels. In one recent press release, and we quote “The Government has launched a novel approach in reducing the nation's dependence on imported fossil fuels, like crude oil, by tapping vast tracts of heretofore unproductive idle public and private lands (mostly denuded mountains and forests) for large-scale bio-fuel crop cultivation. The initiative mandates the propagation and the commercial cultivation of the bio-fuel crop Jatropha curcas L. or Tuba-Tuba, a drought resistant small tree that yields seeds, which contains a high concentration of oil that can substitute for petrol-based diesel.”

Current thinking in government says that in addition to reducing the nation's dependence on imported petroleum and other fossil fuels, massive planting of Jatropha will have a huge employment generation and job creation impact in the rural areas where poverty or unemployment is high, since crop establishment/care (first to second year) and harvesting of fruits of Jatropha is labor-intensive. Furthermore, it will have vast economic multiplier effects in the rural areas as it will mean high resource inflows. As an agribusiness venture, planting Jatropha will require mills to be constructed where the oil will be processed. Transporting the harvested fruits from the farms to the mills will need roads and bridges to be constructed and hauling trucks to be procured. It may signal the start of economic upliftment of the people in areas where it will be planted. Hence, the claim, “a novel approach in reducing the nation's dependence on imported fossil fuels, like crude oil,” for its economic contribution and possible impacts on rural development.

Let us examine these government claims. As agriculturists, with all these pronouncements being made, we cannot remain silent when misleading information is being peddled as facts. We are compelled to present our views regarding this issue so that the public will not be misled and investors misguided. Keeping silent is a form of indirect participation, and a disservice to the public who deserve to know the simple truths about it.

Will planting Jatropha provide the financial benefits it is said to promise, particularly to the farmers who will be growing it? With this question in mind, we studied Jatropha. In our paper, published in the Philippine Journal of Crop Science Vol. 32 No 1, entitled, "Towards Making Jatropha curcas (Tubang bakod) a Viable Source of Biodiesel in the Philippines", we found out that…….

1 ) Jatropha becomes a viable source of biodiesel at PhP40 per liter price of crude oil with a high fruit yield of 36,000 kg /ha, high rates of oil extraction (34% and 38%) and if by-products are included and they provide 50% additional income from the oil revenue. The built-in assumption is that the price of Jatropha seeds corresponds to the diesel oil price. But the question is “Could this yield of 36,000 kg/ha and high oil content (34% and 38%) of Jatropha be achieved under Philippine conditions?” This question can only be definitively answered at some future time since we do not have any plantations which are at the optimum fruiting age (5 years after planting) and no Jatropha cultivar is grown in the Philippines that yields 34 % oil. The current laboratory oil extraction is in the range of 28-32 %.

2) At low yield levels of 12,000 kg per hectare, it will become profitable for farmers growing it if the current diesel oil prices increases to about PhP140 per liter of crude oil at 30% rate of oil extraction with revenues from the oil alone. This implies that the buying price of Jatropha seeds at the farm level is PhP4 per kg. The substrate costs shall be P42/.30 = P141/L of biodiesel. The estimates exclude processing and marketing costs. Current estimates put processing costs at PhP12 per liter. At this level, the price of biodiesel from Jatropha becomes PhP153 per liter. Will the oil price increase to more than PhP153 per liter? Definitely, some time in the future it will, but at this time it might be best to be prepared to use animal drawn vehicles, bicycles, or to simply walk! Jatropha seed yields are inherently low (as explained below) which partly explains the low revenues. This low yield trait of the crop suggests that more research must be done to further increase its seed yield and to be able to find ways on how to maximize total farm yield and by-products.

However, will the results of these experiments be realized anytime soon? For a perennial crop that gives optimum fruiting after 5 years, this means that hybridization and selection for the best yields would require a minimum 35 years (a 7-year cycle of selection x 5 years = 35 years). Genetic improvements of the crop to improve its overall trait as an energy crop should have been done long ago! But this all is water under the bridge for now. We can not hurry up nature!

There is more information that the public should know and understand, and they are as follows:

1) The long waiting period as the crop reaches optimum fruiting (5 years after planting ) plus the low seed yield of Jatropha requires multiple cropping schemes or diverse cropping involving short maturing crops and high value fruit and timber trees to increase the total farm yield and as a risk-minimizing farm strategy.

Are the public and private agencies promoting the massive planting of Jatropha putting equal emphasis on promoting multiple cropping? We support diverse cropping but we should point out that Jatropha is a sun-loving crop. While it grows under shade, photosynthesis (growth and yield) will be affected proportionally to the degree of shading. It should be expected that Jatropha yield per tree will also decrease under multiple cropping conditions due to the reduction in available space and sunlight. But it is logical for the farmers to adopt multiple cropping. If something happens to the Jatropha crop and if the price does not improve over time, the farmers will have some crops to fall back on. But even with this age-old practice of multiple cropping, we do not know that much about it with regards to Jatropha. Jatropha produces a toxic substance called curcin. Will this substance not have allelopathic effects on its companion crops? The planting of Jatropha was banned in Northern Australia due to this toxin. The Australians fear that their cattle will forage on Jatropha during the dry months and that it may become a weed later on.

2.) A massive campaign to encourage Jatropha planting is being waged in the Philippines. Many people are being enticed to plant Jatropha. 1 million hectares have been targeted for planting. But construction of processing plants has not started yet and it will take some time to set up the processing system.

It should be pointed out that 3 or 5 years after planting Jatropha is too short a time to start the construction of processing plants. Will the processing plants be ready by the time the Jatropha crop is harvestable? Furthermore it is necessary that the technologies to optimize the trans-esterification of raw oil into biodiesel, and the processing of by-products (press cake and/or glycerol) into high-priced products be acquired as soon as possible. Will these technologies be ready in 3 or 5 years’ time? This is one of the concerns aired by those who were earlier enticed to plant Jatropha and we quote, “Planting Jatropha without knowing all the facts can be a very painful and costly experience. Knowing the pitfalls can help make planting more worthwhile and successful. While big, well-funded corporations can plant Jatropha on a massive scale, small farm owners like the great majority of Filipino farmers must be careful. Wealthy companies generally know what they are doing. They plant on huge tracts of idle land that are leased to them at a minimal cost by the government or other entities and individuals. And if their yields do not perform according to expectations, their executives and shareholders will not starve. Ordinary farmers have to buy planting materials from suppliers who promise to by their produce -- assuming there will be a harvest. These companies are speculating on a potentially valuable product, biofuel, in the future -- but they are doing so using other people's money, time, and effort. Speculating is good but only if you know the odds.” For those who are planning to plant Jatropha, clearly there are still many unsettled questions.

3 )Tuba-Tuba planting is primarily aimed at making all idle public and private lands productive, particularly denuded mountains and forests which are unfit for food crop cultivation; and produce in commercial volume, a renewable and environment-friendly biofuel, thus alleviating poverty in the countryside and addressing current ecological concerns .

This is a very inviting statement coming from Jatropha proponents. We should point out the following points:

First point, Jatropha can grow in marginal soils but growth and yield will also be slow and marginal or low. There is a saying “you can not get something from nothing” and this applies to agriculture too.

Second point, for agriculturists, there is no land that is unfit for food crop cultivation. Where Jatropha grows, mangoes, cashew, siniguelas, duhat, jackfruit, bignay and many other tropical fruits will grow. Moreover, cassava, sweet potato, and many legumes will also grow.

Third point, while it can survive dry weather by shedding off leaves as an adaptive measure to avoid dying due to excessive loss of water; when this happens, there is no growth and no fruit set. It will resume growth once the soil is moist again.

Fourth point, Jatropha grows well under a favorable growing environment - high soil fertility, adequate moisture and weed management during its early years of growth. But using such land will compete with land currently planted to food security crops - a subject Jatropha proponents try to avoid. What are the latest observations? If Jatropha plants are well-fertilized and irrigated, they grow well but they merely become vegetative. This means that they do not yield the quantity of fruits that we are led to expect!

4) There is currently a big push to grow Jatropha using imported seeds as they are said to be high yielding.

Importing the high yielding traits may also mean the importation of "unknown" bad traits of the plant like pest susceptibility. Using imported seeds should be done with utmost care. A frightening scenario would be to plant them on large tracts of land, only to find out subsequently that the crop is susceptible to a viral or fungal disease. Moreover, Jatropha might just simply serve as source of inoculum, thus infecting even the indigenized cultivars in the country.

5) The main prospects being claimed about Jatropha curcas is that it could yield as much as 5-7 tonnes seeds per ha per year.

As pointed out earlier, there are no standing crops to validate this claim. We have tried to validate this using known scientific procedures. We have done so by transforming the sugar equivalence of oil as illustrated below:

@ 30% oil x 5 tonnes x 3.03 gram glucose equivalence of oil in seed (3.03. x 1.5) = 4.54 tonnes
@ 2.42 gram glucose equivalence of seed coat and the press cake = 8.48 tonnes (2.8 x 3.5)
TOTAL = 13.02 tonnes/ha (4.54 + 8.48)

It appears that there is a remote possibility that a Jatropha crop would give such a seed yield as the sugar equivalence is so high, being estimated at 13.02 MT/Ha. Sugarcane, the highest yielding energy crop which produces sugar via the C4 pathway of photosynthesis only gives a maximum of 10 tonnes of sugar/ha in the Philippines.

Jathropha fixes carbon dioxide via the C3 path way. And if it is planted in marginal soils to avoid the concerns that it will compete with food crops production, simple logic indicates that: marginal soils will produce marginal yields as pointed out earlier.

5) A private company is buying Jatropha seeds at PhP4 per kilo. Is this the right buying price? One Jatropha planter-enthusiast inquires.

Before answering the question, it is important to note that the PhilForest pricing scheme (TUBA-TUBA FOR OIL, Ed Velasco, 09-October-2006 Philippine Graphic Magazine) of purchasing 1 kg of dried Jatropha seeds at 15% of the prevailing diesel pump prices or 0.15 * PhP34 per liter = P5.10 per kg with PhP34 being the current price per liter of diesel oil. Before buying the produce, the dried Jatropha seeds should contain less than 10% of the moisture level set by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). If seeds containing more than 10% moisture will be processed, the diesel will be less effective and might cause engine problems.

Jatropha seed price of PhP4 per kg? What does this price mean? Consider the following simple estimates:

>>: 1kg seed = 5.1 kg dried fruit or 9.7 kg fresh (yellow fruit) = 7.41 /kg average weight of fruits.
>>On the average, 1 kg seed @ PhP4 per kg = PhP0.54 per kg of fruit.

What does this figure imply? Harvesting the fruits in the field, hauling, drying them, and then dehulling the fruits to get the seeds will only fetch a price of PhP0.54 /kg fruit. Will there be people in the rural areas who would be willing to harvest and extract the seeds and be paid a PhP0.54 per kg of fruit? This is adding insult to injury. It is shameful way of making the poor poorer in the guise of developing the country’s energy security.

6) To entice people into Jatropha planting, a PhP50,000 per hectare income is being promised. A promised financial bounty or simply deceit?

Our simple estimates revealed the following: If the crop would yield, say 1,500 kg-seeds per hectare per year, farm revenues would be @ PhP4-5 per kg = PhP6,000 per hectare to PhP7,500/hectare. Granting without accepting, the yield would be 5 tonnes per hectare, then the gross income would be PhP4 per kg x 5,000 kg per hectare = PhP20,000/ha or at PhP5 per kg x 5,000 = P25,000/ha.

Jatropha boosters have reported that it costs about PhP50,000 per hectare to establish and maintain the crop for 2 years. The figures they are citing do not simply match.

It was claimed that PhP50,000 per hectare is needed to establish and maintain the crop for the first 2 years. The seedling cost alone is already PhP37,500 at PhP15 per piece at a planting density of 2,500 plants per hectare. And seed yield claims are 5-7.5 tonnes per hectare. We have pointed out earlier that 5 tonnes per hectare is not a realizable yield. It therefore becomes somewhat difficult to imagine a PhP50,000 per hectare income.

We are reminded of the Ponzi scam! As of this date, there are groups who are thinking about multi-level marketing and we quote… Can we make use of Jatropha curcas as a product for Multi-Level marketing para bumilis ang pagtatanim at benta (to expedite planting and selling)? I am researching a company in the Philippines engaged in multi-level marketing of agricultural products and GOOD HARVEST in Bataan sells stocks for grafted mango tree for a PhP30,000 investment. All we need is a manufacturer of Jatropha Methyl Esther (JME) to sell the seeds to. So it is like a big Multi Level Marketing cooperative. If we find the right system for this, I think this will be successful. This is a crazy idea, but this will be good for the growers who already have planted Jatropha Curcas plants and are now fruiting. What does this thinking reveal?

7) Jatropha oil has high saponification value, making it as an excellent substrate for soap-making. Two products may then be obtained from Jatropha: soap and biodiesel.

This could be a positive attribute of Jatropha. Can we teach the farmers to produce soap from Jatropha in case its buying price at the farm gate will not be profitable for them?

These are but a few of the simple truths that we think the public should know about Jatropha. We hope this short article clarifies some of the burning issues about Jatropha.

Ted Mendoza , Oscar Zamora, Joven Lales
Faculty of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines at Los Banos
tcm_uplb77@yahoo.com
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Brief Information about Jatropha
Botanical description. Locally known as tuba-tuba, tubang bakod (Tagalog), galumbang (Pampanga), Jatropha curcas belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, subfamily Crotonoideae and tribe Jatropheae. There are approximately 175 species under the genus Jatropha and, there are least 4 important species, namely: J. curcas, J. gosstifolia, J. podarica, and J. multifada. Jatropha is a succulent shrub. Plants do not grow very tall (only up to 20 ft). They have spreading branches and stubby twigs, with milky and yellowish exudates. Leaves are deciduous, alternate but apically crowded, ovate, acute to acuminate, basally cordate, 3-5 lobed in outline, 6-40 cm long and 6-35 cm broad. Mature trees bear male and female flowers. They bear several flowers which are greenish cymes, yellowish and bell shaped. Plants from this genus natively occur in Africa; Jatropha spread as a valuable ridge plant to Africa and Asia through the Portuguese traders. It is widely grown in Tamil Nadu India, growing as weeds in Brazil, Fiji, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and is commonly planted in fence lines in the Philippines, hence the name tubang bakod (cane fence).

Jatropha curcas grows well under subtropical and tropical climates. The plant is known to tolerate a wide range of rainfall (48 cm to 238 cm, mean of 143 cm) annually, grows in wide range of temperature (18-28.5°C, mean of 25.2). It thrives in any soil type – sandy, gravelly, saline soils – if well-drained. It needs full sun. It is easily propagated either by seeds or stem cuttings, fast-growing, and adapted to marginal soils with low nutrient contents. Seedlings (3-4 month old) can be planted with the following distances: square planting: 2m x 2m (2,500 plants/ha) or 2m x 3m (1,666 plants/ha). Best time for planting coincides with the start of the rainy season. Care of plants is simple as it involves only ring weeding during the first year, under brushing in later years to control vines and other dominant/highly competitive weeds. Fertilizer application depends on the soil fertility and the farmers’ capacity to buy. When established, it needs minimal attention or management. No insect pests are known to attack the crop and it is not palatable to ruminants (cattle or sheep, goat), making it a desirable plant for the fence lines.

Plants start to bear fruits within two years after planting but reaches maximum productivity after 5 years. Fruits are harvested at yellow stage, each fruit containing 3-4 black seeds 2 cm long and 1 cm thick. Dry seed is about 15% of fresh weight of fruits. Dry seed is 32% meal, 30-38% crude oil, 30-38% seed coat (taken from various literatures).
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