Rane calls for increasing Jatropha cultivation

Panaji, Aug 4 (UNI) Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane has urged the need to increase cultivation of Jatropha curcas plants which is a rich source of biodiesel.

Addressing a seminar on Jatropha cultivation at Pilar today, the Chief Minister said India has been meeting 60 per cent of its hydrocarbon fuel requirements through imports which could be reduced by encouraging Jatropha farming.

Apart from providing more revenue to farmers, large tracts of barren land, including those with mining rejects, could be brought under Jatropha cultivation to reap rich benefits, he said.

Earlier, four final year mechanical engineering students from Girasugar Institute of Technology, Belgaum, headed by Mr Abhijit Mitra, demonstrated the extraction of biodiesel from Jatropha seeds using a machine fabricated by them as part of their project work at the Pilar Nature Farm.

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