GNOBB member Mr. Ashraful Alam has published an interesting article entitled, “Prospects of Energy Self-sufficiency in Tea Industry,” in  today’s (7th April) The Daily Star. Dr. Alam is currently a Doctoral Research Fellow at Dalian University of Technology, China.

Comments from the coordinator: It’s a well-proven fact that Jatropha spp. grow wild in waste land and can be extensively cultivated  at a low cost with a minimum care and be used for extraction of diesel oil. In India, the species has been planted successfully in the waste land of several provinces for over  decades. According to a reliable estimate, India is planning  to plant 300,000 km²  of wasteland under this species. In India,  the oil extracted from Jatropha  is of high quality and  is being used in motor driven engines including railway to the satisfaction of  its consumers. I recommend that besides tea gardens, it should be planted wherever dry wasteland is available. The attention of the Ministry of Energy, Government of Bangladesh is invited to look into the feasibility of obtaining bio-diesel oil from Jatropha species that grows wild in Bangladesh and launch a vigorous program to meet fuel shortage in the country. Now it’s the time for action.