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Myth. Jatropha is
not attacked by insects as it repels all
insects.
Fact. Like other
plants, many insects and
diseases
infest Jatropha
and
cause much damage. It
repels certain insects not all.
Myth. Jatropha is
Indian plant.
Fact. The place of
origin of Jatropha is
Tropical America.
Myth. Jatropha is
only promising source of Biodiesel.
Fact. There are
thousands of sources for Biodiesel.
Indian
scientists
have prepared
the list of over 300 potential species for biodiesel.
Most of these species are
indigenous. Biodiesel
can be prepared by
plastic,
and even by weeds
like Cassia tora
and Calotropis
gigantea
without investment of
millions and causing damage to environment
like
large scale Jatropha
plantation.
Myth. Jatropha monoculture
is ecofriendly.
Fact. Any monoculture
is harmful to nature. Nature likes diversity. Jatropha monoculture
has been declared as future natural disaster by
environmentalists. In India
there is plan to raise Jatropha monoculture
in over 84 thousand hactares. In Sanskrit it is
mentioned that 'Ati Sarvatra varjayete'. Excess
of any thing is bad.
Myth. Jatropha
seed oil is safe for human skin.
Fact. Carcinogenic
properties of Jatropha are
well documented.
Internet is full of
information on this aspect. The reseachers of
Thailand found
in year 1987 that Jatropha oil contains
tumour
promoting
substances. Native poeple around the world know
that
Jatropha oil
is harmful for skin. This is the reason it is
also known
as 'Hell
oil'.
Jpn J Cancer
Res. 1987 Mar;78(3):223-6.
Presence of tumor promoters
in the seed oil of Jatropha
curcas L. from
Thailand.
Horiuchi T, Fujiki H,
Hirota M, Suttajit M, Suganuma M, Yoshioka A,
Wongchai V, Hecker E,
Sugimura T.
Myth. Jatropha
grows without care.
Fact. Like other
commerical plantations Jatropha
also requires care. No or less care means poor
production. More care means increase in cost of
production. Higher cost of production means
costly seed oil. During summer in
India
over 60 percent mortality has been observed in
Jatropha
plantation raised with no care.
Myth. Jatropha is
not a weed.
Fact. Jatropha
holds a status of weed in
many countries including
Australia. The
research is in progress to manage this weed
through
different
methods including weedicides. Crop protection
compendium
pulbished by
CABI, UK
gives much scientific information regarding
its
weedy nature and
economical losses caused by it in different
countries. Ignoring these
scientific facts many countries including
India are
permitting plantation of this weedy species in
thousands of
hactares.
RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTS:
Reject, Score: 11
Myth. Jatropha
plantation is not harmful to soil.
Fact. Like many weedy
species Jatropha Allelochemicals
are harmful for soil specially in case of monoculture.
There are research works showing harmful effects
of Jatropha Allelochemicals
on Indian crops like Pigeonpea. These
Allelochemicals
are harmful to native flora specially
microflora. Large scale plantation may result in
negative impact on soil. Without evaluating harm
causing potential of Jatropha
green signal is given for its plantation. Wasteland
where Jatropha
plantation is in progress, supports lives of
billions of microflora and fauna. Negative
impact on it means direct impact on ecosystem.
Myth. Jatropha
seed oil fumes are safe for human lungs.
Fact. The native people
using Jatropha oil
fumes as insect repellent always cover nose in
order to avoid inhalation. Jatropha planners claim
that fumes are safe but there is no
scientific study available on this aspect. There
is a need for long term studies on human beings
as well as on livestock and plants before giving
green signal to its large scale plantation and
use as biodiesel.
Myth. Jatropha seeds are
not liked by children.
Fact. Unfortunately Jatropha seeds are
much liked by children and accidental feeding
cases have been reported from different
countries. On-going large scale plantation is
becoming curse for rural
children. In India local news
papers publish these accidental feedings very
commonly. "Two seeds are strong purgative. Four
to five seed are said to have caused death.
Bark, fruit, leaf,
root, and wood are all reported to contain HCN.
Seeds contain the dangerous toxalbumin curcin,
rendering them potentially fatally toxic. "- the
world literatures report. In India
many states are planting it in school compounds.
More number of accidental feeding cases
indicates that planners have failed to aware the
common people about its toxicity.
Myth. Jatropha is
not harmful to fish.
Fact. Jatropha
bark is popularly used as fish poison. Research
by
German scientists
have shown that common Carp (Cyprinus carpio
L) is
very
sensitive to phorbol esters of Cyprinus carpio
L. Large scale plantation
of Jatropha
specially near water bodies may cause great harm
to fish
species.
Detailed studies are required before starting
such
plantations.
Myth. Jatropha biodiesel
is cheaper than diesel
and other biodiesel.
Fact. At present due to
higher seed cost and poor poduction Jatropha
biodiesel is costlier than
both diesel and other biodiesel
sources.
Lower seed cost
is key for success but lower seed cost means
poor
returns to the Jatropha
farmers. In India farmers
are raising it to
sell
its seeds. Higher the cost of seeds higher will
be the return.
Poor
production is another constraint. Research
organisations are in
process of developing high
yielding varieties and for its testing in
different agro-climatic
situations atleast ten years are required.
Ignoring this important
fact planners are planting poor yielding
Jatropha. It
will damage the ecosystem and also we will not
get
sufficient biodiesel
in future.
When biodiesel
is prepared from waste and weeds
there is no
cultivation
cost like in case of Jatropha.
Obviously the cost of such
biodiesel
is far less than Jatropha
biodiesel. Similarly biodiesel
prepartion from trees
already present in any country like Karanj is
also much cheaper than Jatropha biodiesel.
Myth. Farmers can plant
Jatropha in
Badi
(Homestead or
kitchen Garden) for biodiesel
production.
Fact. As we know Jatropha is
poisonous plant and harmful to humanbeings specially to
children, livestock and other
animals. Hence it must be planted far from human
population. Native Indian people
are well aware of its toxic nature and therefore
it is always planted far from home. There is no
such limitation with indigenous biodiesel
sources. Many grow in Badi as
trees and as weeds in
crop fields and wastelands.
Myth. Jatropha
gives yield of 12 (and more) tons seeds per acre
after six years
of
plantation.
Fact. Well managed
irrigated and heavily manured crop gives maximum
4-
5 ton seeds per acre.
When Jatropha is
planted in wasteland without
care it gives poor yield of
1.0 to 1.5 tons (or less) of seeds. In
regions of heavy rainfall
seed setting is poor. To present Jatropha
as
very profitable crop
and to sell plants to farmers many agenicies
are
making the claims of
very high yield. Jatropha is
planted in higher spacing for
good growth but you will
find the suggestions of 2 by 2
meters spacing. Less
spacing means more crowding and more crowding
means more competion for
nutrients, light and moisture and finally
poor yield. Every one in
fooling common people in the name of
Jatropha.
Myth. Jatropha is
suitable for all parts of India.
Fact. Experts have
prepared Jatropha
plantation map for India. They
have left the desert and
the food basin regions. This map suggests
that very limited area
should be used for Jatropha
plantation. Experts
around the world also give
emphasis on use of mix plantation rather
than monoculture and give
preference to indigenous species. Ignoring
these facts planners are
planting Jatropha in
almost all parts of
India. In many
states farmers are planting it in fertile soil
by
replacing profitable
food crops. According to the experts Karnataka,
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh are having fertile soil and
Jatropha
plantation is unviable for
these states. You will find Jatropha
plantations in these
states. That is why the weed
experts are seeing
it as
future ''super weed'' of India.
Myth. Jatropha can
give good production in desert.
Fact. Jatropha is
drought resistant plant and can grow in 'desert
like
situation' not in
desert. That is why the experts have left the
Indian
desert for
plantation of Jatropha. It
is not viable in desert.
Myth. Jatropha can
give good production without irrigation as it is
drought resistant
plant.
Fact. Like other drought resistant
plants Jatropha
also requires care
and
irrigation specially during establishment phase.
After
establishment it
can tolerate drought up to certain period. It is
less
drought
resistant than Cactus and for
growth Cactus also requires
water. Jatropha
gives positive response to irrigation. That is
why in
irrigated
condition the yield is far higher than Jatropha
depending on
rainfall.
There is a need to keep this fact in mind that
there is much
difference
between Growing and good production. Any plant
may grow in
any
situation but can not give good production in
all situations. For
good
production it requires specific situation.
Myth. Press is in
support of Jatropha
promotion.
Fact. World Press is
keeping close view on on-going Jatropha
promotion. News from both
sides are coming regularly. In fact the
campaign 'Say No To
Jatropha' got momentum by their support. As
you
know this campaign
is a part of CG net (http://www.cgnet.in),
the
successful example
of citizen journalism. Through this group
information about poisonous
Jatropha is
spreading around the world.
Many articles have
appeared in BBC Hindi, Indian
Express, India Today,
Down to Earth, One World
South Asia and many other popular magazines
and news papers.
Myth. Indian trains
are running by Jatropha biodiesel.
Fact. As trial
authorities have tried to run Indian trains only
few
times (for limited
distance and by adding 5 to 10 percent Jatropha biodiesel
in
conventional diesel)
but Indian trains are not running through
Jatropha
biodiesel. Many
experts believe that these trials were for
publicity and support
to
the Jatropha promoters only as railway is having
enough biodiesel to run
their atleast some trains
through it. High cost of Jatropha biodiesel
than
diesel (please look
at Gujarat story in
previous messages) is one of the
constraints. Also
authorities are much worried about its bad
impact on engines.
New
development
Local newspapers in
Chhattisgarh especially Dainik Bhaskar reported
on December 26,
2006 that railway has dropped the
plan to run biodiesel train
between Raipur and Dhamtari.
According to this report Jatropha Biodiesel is
affecting the performance of engine. There is
need to modify engine according to Jatropha
which is not possible at this stage. Railway
mixed 5 percent Biodiesel in commercial diesel
and it resulted in this failure. It is big blow
to Jatropha promoters. Still they are not sure
about its performance and without confirming it,
the large-scale plantation of Jatropha is in
progress in full swing.
Myth. Jatropha monoculture
is not harmful to livestock.
Fact. In general Jatropha is
planted as live fence by natives in order
to keep cattle as well as
wild animals away from crop fields. In
India
wasteland,
where Jatropha monoculture
is in progress, acts as grazing
land for cattle. Jatropha monoculture
is suppressing the growth of
native grasses and
preventing the cattle to enter in these lands.
The
cattle owners have
no option for it. This monoculture is
increasing
the chances
of force feeding. Accidental feeding of
poisonous Jatropha
and
death of cattle have been reported in many
countries. Experts
believe that Jatropha monoculture
will increase the cases of
accidental feeding. Without
prodiving alternatives to thousands of
cattle owners planners are
planting Jatropha in
grazing lands, by
declaring it as wasteland. |
