The ambitions of India and China to ramp up their biofuel production could cause shortages of water, which is needed for crops to feed their growing populations, adding more fuel to the ‘food versus fuels’ debate. With both countries expected to make up more than 70% of the world’s fuel demand, they are now turning to the more sustainable alternative of biofuels. In this food versus fuels debate, Jatropha stands out as the win-win crop for biodiesel.

India and China’s plans encompass more traditional options like sugar cane and maize, according to a report published by the International Water Management Institute or IWMI. The report decries the plan due to the problem of water. As both sugar cane and maize require plenty of water, biofuel crop production will very likely jeopardize sustainable water use, and affect the irrigated production of important food crops, including cereals and vegetables, which would then leave the country dependent on foreign imports to meet the demand for food.

The IWMI study and many others like it have been echoing a steady and increasingly loud warning about how the growing demand of biofuels could shortchange less economically developed countries that depend on staples like maize to feed its populations. In addition to this, setting aside more land for biofuels could increase the prices of everything from eggs to beef, or anything that relies on maize feed, which will have become more expensive.

In the mean time, both India and China have been making aggressive plans to increase biofuels productions fourfold by 2020.

Jatropha is starting to get recognition as a viable biodiesel crop, and both India and China are incorporating Jatropha into their biofuel plans. India has announced plans to plant about 7.7 million acres of Jatropha plantations by 2009, and have identified another 98.8 million acres of wasteland by then to grow the plant. In the mean time, China claims to have 2 million hectares of jatropha under cultivation, and has announced plans to plant an additional 11 million hectares across its southern states by 2010!

As both China and India get heavily involved in Fuel crops cultivation, the pressure on water resources, which are already over-exploited, will increase further. It therefore remains crucial for them to continue with their decision to plant Jatropha, which can grow well on rain-fed dry land, and will need a lot less water through irrigation.

This strategy will go a long way towards reducing competition for scarce water between the food and fuel uses of arable lad. Most importantly, good plantation management will ensure that valuable water resources are not misused or wasted in the planting of Jatropha.

In the face of these developments, there is a critical need for forums and summits to promote an exchange of ideas over Jatropha, as investment into the plant is expanding rapidly. At JATROPHAWORLD 2008, our panel of experts will deliver their analysis of plantation management and the best farming practices, including water management.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a part of this authoritative summit on Jatropha. Register for JATROPHAWORLD 2008 today!