Jatropha biodiesel, “one of the best alternatives” for the american continent

This has been the conclusion of the videoconference “Presentation of the Jatropha curcas L. network for investigation, development, and innovation in the production of biodiesel in Latin America and the Caribbean,” organized by the Hemispheric Program in Agroenergy and Biofuel of the Interamerican Cooperation Institute for Agriculture (IICA).

Representatives of technology and investigation centers, ministries of agriculture and environment, universities, international organisms and private companies from Argentina, Brasil, and Costa Rica participated in the event.

According to Orlando Vega, “the video-conference served as a place to address common problems and to identify collaborative work opportunities.”

For Jamil Macedo, director of the Agricultural Investigation and Innovation Cooperative Program for the South American Tropics (Procitrópicos), “even with its limitations, Jatropha curcas L. plantations, is one of the best alternatives for biodiesel production” in the hemisphere.

Investigation institutes from Bolivia, Brasil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Perú, Surinam, and Venezuela are members of Procitrópicos, and their goal is to promote the Jatropha curcas L. to produce biodiesel.

For Macedo, “Jatropha seeds have great performance to produce high quality oil, the plantation is perennial, and adapts well; also, it is not a food source, so it doesn’t compete against food agriculture.”

He also said that “the Jatropha Network is an alternative to exchange scientific knowledge and to promote technological innovations necessary to visualize the Jatropha culture.”

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