Major boost for Quezon jatropha farmers
July 20, 2009 9:43 am
LUCENA CITY, July 20 –- Quezon farmers who have planted jatropha curcas in Tagkawayan town have received more than P25 million from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and Phil. National Oil Co.- Alternative Fuel Corp. (PNOC-AFC) for the plantation and cultivation of the alternative fuel plant here in Quezon province.
“Totohanan ang programa sa jatropha ng ating Pangulong Arroyo at ng inyong Governor Raffy Nantes dahil sa loan releases na ito ng Land Bank at ng PNOC-AFC sa ating jatropha farmers bilang pagtupad natin sa Biofuels Act of 2006 (The loan assistance extended by PNOC-AFC is concrete proof that we are moving on),” said Quezon Gov. Raffy Nantes who led the turn-over of the ceremonial checks to Tagkawayan Jatropha Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (TJFMC) led by its chairman Jose Serrano Jr. held at the Quezon Convention Center here.
Witnessing the turn-over were PNOC-AFC president and chief executive officer Romeo Tolentino, Wilhelmino Agregado, first vice president-group head of the Southern Luzon and Bicol Group of LBP; Ananias Lugo, vice president area head of Region 4-B of LBP; Oscar Bunyi, project manager and vice chairman of Quezon Jatropha Development Board (QJDB); Francis Sevilla, QJDB executive director; QJDB members June Lee and Abner Malabanan; Quezon jatropha farmers and provincial government employees.
Serrano and his group received the ceremonial check worth P7.5 million from LBP and P18.5 million from PNOC-AFC for planting some 1,174 hectares of jatropha curcas in Tagkawayan town.
The PNOC showcase jatropha plantation is located in Bgy. Casispalan while those applied in LBP are located in Bgys. Mapulot, Sto. Tomas, Casispalan, Tabason, Aliji, San Francisco, San Roque, San Vicente, Sta. Cecilia, Munting Parang and Rizal Landing, all in Tagkawayan,
Tolentino signed a Production, Technical Marketing Agreement (PTMA) with 4 jatropha cooperative groups from different towns: Calauag Community Vendors Coop. of Calauag town; Southern Mulanay Multi-Purpose Coo. of Mulanay; Lakdayan Farmers MPC of San Narciso; and Bgy. Bonifacio Farmers MPC of Unisan.
Tolentino, who downplayed the persistent debate between fuel and food ,said that diesel oil can be extracted from jatropha and diesel is more efficient as fuel than gasoline.
Tolention and Nantes have expressed their optimism with the Quezon jatropha project saying that jatropha plantation and cultivation is the best way of anticipating the coming energy crunch with the oil supply in Middle East starting to dry up in 30 years.
In May 21, 2008 Nantes have signed a tripartite memorandum of agreement with LBP and PNOC-AFC for P4.3 billion loan to finance the plantation and production of jatropha curcas from 100,000 hectares in the whole Quezon province. (PNA) /V3/Russel Roales/utb/
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