Myanmar to cultivate seven million acres of jatropha by summer ‘08

The Myanmar Department of Energy announced plans to cultivate seven million acres of jatropha by summer 2008. Yields from jatropha are roughly 350 gallons of biodiesel per acre, creating a potential supply of 2.4 billion gallons of biodiesel. Financing and logistics for the project were not announced, which would encompass more than 10,000 square miles in a country of 226,000 square miles.

Palm oil, the other leading biodiesel feedstock cultivated in Asia, has doubled in price in the past year, creating opportunities for alternative oil sources.

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