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Jatropha Industry Plan Cagayan Valley, Philippines
Added 270 days ago - Tuguegarao City (3 October) -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) Region 2 has agreed to implement the approved and adopted framework plan of the proposed Jatropha Industry in Cagayan Valley.
RDC Chair Ramon B. Villena said the Cagayan Valley Jatropha Industry Framework Plan was conceived to support the thrust of the national government in promoting and developing alternative energy sources as a means of achieving self-reliance in meeting the country's energy requirement.
Villena said the plan explains the region's course in the development of the Jatropha Industry within the next 30 years, how to accelerate the utilization of local energy sources particularly the jatropha curcas not only to ensure the region's self-sufficiency on fuel and energy but also with the end goal of uplifting the region's economy.
"The Framework Plan is realistic in approach and comprehensive in its scope. The formulation of the Plan was guided not only by economics but also by environmental and social considerations. It defines the participation of all sectors - government institutions, agencies and instrumentalities as well as the private sector in the attainment of the envisioned goals," Villena added.
Meantime, DENR Regional Director Clarence Baguilat said the biodiesel revolution had gone a long way in its bid to reduce the use of imported fuels, as many countries now substitute fossil fuels with oil bearing plants, like jatropha curcas, to meet their household and commercial energy needs.
"Region 02 has sufficient marginal lands available for cultivating jatropha and the challenge would be to efficiently utilize these lands for biodiesel feedstock. The strategies to develop the region's marginal and idle lands into productive jatropha plantations are highlighted in this document. The Plan likewise brings solutions not only to the energy problems besetting the country but also in spurring investment opportunities and creating avenues for employment in the region," Baguilat said.
NEDA Regional Director Milagros Rimando, on the other hand, said the plan establishes a framework for the orderly development of a jatropha industry in the region and it provides an aggressive and bold thoughtful and measured vision on how jatropha industry should be developed.
Rimando added the plan is also realistic that it appreciates the need of further extensive research and development and extension programs as a basis to establish a sustainable Jatropha Industry in the region.
The DENR identified about 223,581.50 hectares as potential area for jatropha in the whole region 2. (PIA Cagayan)
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