President asks NEDFi to help in value-addition to products

Guwahati, Oct 17 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today urged the NEDFi to develop technology for value-addition to products and promote ''one village one product'' concept to manufacture world-class goods.

He was inaugurating a workshop-cum-exhibition on commercialisation of bio-diesel production in North East India at the ITA Centre here.

He later left for New Delhi, winding up his three-day tour of North East.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kalam said the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) could innovate technology for the benefit of entrepreneurs at the grassroot level.

He said, ''NEDFi can look for value-addition to products of the villagers and help them develop further in their areas of specialisation.'' He also visited Gimuria village, where he met volunteers of self- help groups and Sualkuchi, where he met the weavers, earlier in the day. ''The NEDFi can help the people of these areas, and others like them, to develop further,'' he added.

The President had presented the salient features of discussions and recommendations of a workshop on bio-diesel towards energy independence with focus on Jatropha at Hyderabad in June this year.

He urged the participants of the meeting here to deliberate and develop those further.

Stressing on the need for standard seeds, Dr Kalam said, '' ''Presently, the country has got Jatropha selection having 30 per cent oil content in seed. This centre (NEDFi) should look for Jatropha, which can yield more than 45 per cent oil. '' ''Plant breeders and bio-technologists of this region can contribute in this regard,'' he added.

He suggested that the NEDFi should facilitate collective discussion between oil marketing companies, farmers, co-operative enterprises and educational institutions for working out the optimal sizing of the plant needed for NE states.

Dr Kalam said, ''This decision must come within the next two years before the production of Jatropha seeds picks up in this region.'' On the future of bio-diesel production in the country, he said, ''I am sure we should be able to realise the target of producing six million tonnes of bio-diesel by 2010, 30 million tonnes by 2020 and 60 million tonnes by 2030 in co-operation with all the stakeholders of the mission.'' UNI SG SJC PKS KP1936