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By Dr Sudhirendar Sharma
Last year, automobile giant Daimler-Chrysler successfully drove a car 5,900 km on 1,300 litres of bio-diesel, processed from jatropha plantations in Gujarat's wastelands. Could bio-diesel be the significant fuel of the future? If so, it could not only sustain fuel demands but help regenerate 65 million hectares of wastelands in India
A brand new Mercedes car covered some 5,900 km across 11 major cities in the country last year. No, the automobile giant was not showcasing its latest car; nor was it testing the fuel efficiency of a new machine. Fuelled by 1,300 litres of bio-diesel processed from jatropha plants grown on the parched salty wastelands of Bhavnagar , the trial run raises hopes of cutting the country’s fuel bill that guzzles one-third of its entire import budget.
With the growing mobility of India ’s increasing population, demand for crude oil has long surpassed domestic production. Should bio-diesel production attain commercial viability, fuel produced from renewable sources could toss up the possibility of sustaining this demand! And there is no dearth of wastelands in the country to match the possibility. Over 65 million hectares of land have been declared wasteland, and another 174 million hectares are close to being called wasteland.
Largely funded by Daimler-Chrysler, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer of Mercedes vehicles, the euro 600,000 project is testing the quality of fuel derived out of jatropha oil for use in modern diesel engines. Three small pilot plants have been set up in Bhavnagar with a combined production capacity of 100 litres of bio-diesel per day. Around 10 hectares of wasteland in Gujarat and 24 hectares in Orissa have already been covered in jatropha for the project.
Though the villagers are currently being compensated for their work, researchers are making every effort to convince them that a viable income-generating model is being created. Since the jatropha plant is of little use to humans or animals, detoxified high-nutrient cattle feed and press cakes as manure are being made after the oil has been extracted from the seeds. Such value-additions are being made available to woo villagers who have traditionally used jatropha only as hedges.
Despite promising results from the project, the people of Chorvadia village in Bhavnagar remain sceptical. First, they are apprehensive about the idea that fuel can be ‘cultivated’ on wasteland; second, whether the poor will receive the promised returns from the project. The crucial issue at stake is whether privatisation of wasteland development can rehabilitate people and generate gainful employment for the poor.
Having failed in its previous attempts to regenerate wasteland to any significant extent, the government may well be looking forward to the corporate takeover of India ’s wastelands. While this may absolve the State of the primary responsibility of regenerating degraded ecosystems, the promised employment generation could make great political sense at a time when creating jobs in the rural sector is becoming a compulsive engagement for the government.
In an era of globalisation, the opportunity costs of privatising wastelands may become significant. The ruling alliance’s Common Minimum Programme (CMP) places special emphasis on wasteland development, although the resources being allocated for this appear inadequate. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh has hinted at an investment of Rs 11,000 crore, over the next five years, through a variety of related programmes.
Having had a discouraging response to wasteland development in the past, the government may want to tread cautiously. The National Wastelands Development Board, established in 1985, had to be wound up as it couldn’t meet its annual target of regenerating 5 million hectares of land. Another special rural development scheme in 1994-95, offering grants and subsidies for wasteland regeneration, was discontinued a decade later due to the inadequate response it generated.
The absence of institutional structures at the grassroots for regenerating village commons continues to be the greatest stumbling block. As public money for wasteland development shrinks, the onus of regenerating them could well go to a third party. Though industry has gainfully harvested raw material (like paper pulp) from wastelands in the past, it has become somewhat piqued at not being given greater access to degraded forests, its first choice.
However, a shift is expected following new breakthroughs like the bio-diesel project. Such projects trigger wide interest owing to the likelihood of greater incentives for pursuing them. Not only will the project help generate bio-fuel, it will also create income-generating avenues for the poor. And regenerate productivity on wastelands. However, they do not ensure that the poor will be active partners with an equal stake in the project!
Cynics argue that the technical feasibility of any project doesn’t guarantee its socio-ecological acceptability. Technological projects often impinge upon traditional land rights, driving away lawful custodians from their primary inheritance. A tonne of jatropha seeds can yield 300 litres of bio-diesel, but at the cost of the rights of the poor. Should socio-ecological concerns be compromised for narrow economic gains?
Although a call has been given from some quarters to the private sector to invest in wasteland development, the requisite regulatory mechanisms have yet to be developed to protect the legitimate rights of the poor. If the experiences of corporate farming are anything to go by, the poor are often at the receiving end of such enthusiastic initiatives. Unless suitable institutional structures are created in rural areas, wasteland development should remain within the public domain.
InfoChange News & Features, March 2005
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