African Jatropha
Jatropha Seeds are very hard; the plants can withstand any adverse atmospheric conditions.
Jatropha plants can be cultivated in places where enough rain fall and warm climate exists. Jatropha planting in Africa is a growing agricultural industry. The steady growth of this industry is due to many factors. The most important factor is that more than half of the Africa's land area has the right climate and environmental conditions for growing Jatropha. There is nearly 1,080 million hectare land area, which is very ideal for Jatropha cultivation. This area receives 80 cm rainfall and temperature is always more than 2 deg Celsius.
The Second reason for the increased cultivation of African Jatropha is the revenue from it. It is estimated that 8 tons of Jatropha seeds can be produced per hectare and in turn this can produce bio diesel of nearly costing $900, comparing with the present cost of crude oil. In addition, the glycerin used for the production of soaps and dyes obtained from jatropha seeds can earn nearly $1100, totally $2000 per hectare. Making Jatropha a very lucrative resource to be grown in Africa.
The third reason for ongoing jatropha cultivation in Africa is that it provides more job opportunities for African people. Cultivation in more areas of Africa translates to more jobs. This is a very important aspect in a poverty driven country.
The Fourth reason is that African countries are finding problem in getting the required natural fuels like diesel, cooking gas and petrol. Also in the present trend of increasing oil cost, the purchasing power of African countries is less. Therefore, it is essential for Africa to move towards bio fuels with one of the more viable option for bio fuel being African Jatropha.
Lastly, the fifth reason is that as a country thriving to prosper there is a definite need to adopt measures which will help to protect the environment. Biodiesel produced from Jatropha is nearly emission.
All the above factors together with the simplicity of producing biodiesel from jatropha have laid a strong foundation for the cultivation of African Jatropha.
