Malaysia Sees Potential in Jatropha

This was the view of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui during a visit to the Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd's (ACGT) Jatropha Experimental Station.

He said that jatropha is a crop with biodiesel potential but because for small holders it is a matter of survival, the costs need to be found out, the Star reports.

ACGT, wholly-owned subsidiary of Asiatic Development Bhd, has been experimenting on jatropha and its various aspects, including genomics.

Asiatic Development chief executive Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay told the Star the Genting group viewed the project as a potential future third generation crop for the country.

"A broader view is needed and one way of doing this is through the application of science. We will definitely achieve what the minister (Chin) has asked, in terms of the immediate application that jatropha can be applied to," he said.

Lim said the group's research and development work on jatropha was more of an immediate response to address the current issue of high fuel prices and the food-versus-fuel controversy, as it was non-edible.

He said there was a need to be prepared for the future and that ACGT's work would help determine if jatropha could be a viable crop.

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