EXTENSION WORK: Officials of District Water Management Agency explaining to prospective farmers the cultivation methods of Jatropha at a farm near Kothur in Kurnool district on Friday. -Photo: U. Subramanyam

KURNOOL: A target of 50,000 acres was set for planting bio-diesel yielding Jatropha Curcus in Kurnool district this year. However, achieving the target appears to be difficult considering the problems at implementation level. No single agency has been named responsible for promotion of cultivation of Jatropha even though District Water Management Agency (DWMA) was identified as coordinating agency.

The DWMA has its activity confined to only the watershed mandals while in other places it is to depend upon the Agriculture and Horticulture departments. The role of the Forest Department was confined to the notified forest areas only. Moreover, the Forest Department was advised to take up cultivation of `pongamia,' another bio-oil species.

Advise to farmers

Last year, around 5,000 acres was brought under Jatropha Curcus in the district. Under the irrigation conditions, the plants gave nominal yield while the optimum yield of five kg could be expected only after the fifth year. A rugged plant, Jatropha could withstand any amount of water stress by shedding the leaves during dry months and resuming shoots in wet months.

Y. Rajendra and C. Harichandra Reddy, Assistant Project Directors of DWMA, said they were advising the farmers to go for cultivation of Jatropha in degraded soils. The farmers who came forward to plant Jatropha in prime lands were told to think twice before planting as they might lose immediate income.

Income projections

As per the projections of the scientists, the yield was likely to reach 5,000 kg per acre by the fifth year ensuring an income of Rs. 30,000. In the second year itself, the farmer could harvest 1,000 kg valued at Rs. 6,000.

Mr. Rajendra said only Jatropha was advised for Kurnool district initially but now Jatropha as well as pongamia would be cultivated in equal extent.

The gestation period of pongamia was reduced from eight years to three years after the grafting method was introduced.

Southern Bio-fuels, which put up its plant at Kakinada, was identified as the agency authorised to procure seed from the farmers at Rs. 6 a kg.

The DWMA itself was buying the seed from the farmers to meet the seed demand.

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