AP ignores alternative fuel option

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, May 1, 2013: Despite the hike in petrol and diesel prices, the government continues to ignore exploring alternative sources. All the 11 Agency mandals in the district were once enriched with plantations of Jetropha and Pongamia.

These are scientifically proved by the organisations Sutra and Astra affiliated to Indian Institute of Sciences, Banglore that these plants can provide alternative source for diesel particularly for irrigation and rural transport.

Earlier these plantations were seen in thousands of acres in Vizag Agency and the seeds were purchased by middlemen from the tribals. The private traders in turn used to sell them in neighbouring Odisha for good price where it is used to generate fuel to use in generators.

All this was before 2005. With no much encouragement from government and being exploited by private middlemen, tribals stopped jatropha and pungamia cultivation.  

The Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) that procures and facilitates marketing of tribal produce earlier planned to buy the seeds from the Agency farmers. The idea was als shelved due to some unknown reasons. Private traders used to buy these seeds from local farmers at Rs 4 to 5 per kg and used to sell at very higher rates to small and medium scale industries in Odisha and other states that convert seeds into oil.

GCC experimented Jetropha few years back but the conversion cost was higher than the actual diesel cost and hence it dropped the idea of procuring fearing no market for these bio diesel seeds at that time. “But now in the present scenario of increased diesel rates, these conversion rates would be definitely negligible and we are expecting good market for this. Unfortunately there is no Jatropha cultivation at all for us to procure and do marketing,” said GCC general manager, M Manohar.

However Pongamia, which is also a substitute for the diesel, is seen little in Agency tracts. Pongamia seeds are procured by the GCC, which the corporation in turn sells to private traders. But these traders sell these seeds to the soap industries instead for bio diesel purpose.

“Government and environmentalists should encourage and create awareness among people about these alternate sources other than depending upon the international crude oil prices. There is no integrated approach by the government regarding these seeds, like research on user industry, safety profile and research in refining process by which vast tribal wealth is wasted. At the present scenario neither the tribals nor the common man is benefited. Forest wealth is desecrated,” said G Srinivas of Samata, an NGO working for tribal rights.