Friends of the Earth report blasts D1 Oils over Swaziland jatropha activities; D1 Oils blasts right back

In the UK, a war of words erupted yesterday between D1 Oils and Friends of the Earth over a FOE report, “Jatropha – wonder crop?”, that investigates claims made by UK biofuels company D1 Oils about jatropha.

According to Friends of the Earth, “the report draws on experience from Swaziland where D1 Oils has been growing and promoting jatropha as a wonder crop because of its ability to grow on poor quality land.” The report, which was produced jointly by FOE Swaziland and FOE England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is available at FOE said that jatropha production did not live up to expectations set by D1 and is competing with food and water resources in Swaziland.

Graham Prince of D1 Oils issued a strong response, calling the FOE report out of date, and telling Biofuels Review that D1 Oils has never said that jatropha would grow on marginal lands, and that D1 pulled out of Swaziland as part of a business reorganization of the joint venture with BP.

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