Jatropha project bombs

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said the Arroyo administration should have pilot-tested its jatropha plant project before launching a large-scale exploration of the plant’s viability as an alternative fuel source.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo said the past administration should have started small—from planting and harvesting to extracting jatropha oil and blending it into biofuel.

“A successful pilot testing of jatropha’s viability as an alternative fuel source should have been conducted before going into large-scale production,” Montejo said in a statement.

“The proper scientific protocol in programs involving new technologies is to first conduct a pilot test and a thorough evaluation of its results to prove its viability before rolling it out,” Montejo said.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras recently revealed the Arroyo administration lost P1 billion of a P1.4-billion allocation for the project, covering the cost of planting some 4,000 hectares to the jatropha plant.

It turned out jatropha plant oil was not commercially viable. Tarra Quismundo