'Govt plans bio-fuel plants in 1 lakh hectare land by 2010'

Ethanol is being experimented on 2,000 buses: Task Force chief

Addressing an officials’ meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Wednesday, he said ‘about 7.5 per cent of ethanol is being mixed with the diesel being used in about 2000 KSRTC buses in the State. This will reduce our dependency on non-renewable fuel resources. However, the use of diesel in the country is still more. There is a need to reduce this,” he said.

“The Bio-fuel Task Force is implementing two special programmes for this purpose. The help of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is also being obtained. Bio-fuel plants are being grown in government and non-government lands which are not being used for agriculture under ‘Hasiru Honnu’ and ‘Bangrara Eradu’ schemes,” he informed.

“Such plants have been grown in 6,000 hectare land in 2009. The target for the year 2010-11 is to plant such plants in 25,000 hectare land. There are plans to have bio-fuel plants in one lakh hectare land by 2012,” Ramakrishna added.

“The plantations will be maintained by Village Forest Committees. Plants will be supplied as per the demand by the private parties. The farmers will be encouraged to grow fuel plants in the parts of their land where they don’t grow any agricultural crops,” he explained.

He asked the Forest department officials to make best use of the non-agricultural land for growing bio-fuel plants across Kodagu district.

“There is much scope for growing bio-fuel plants in the State. But there is a need for a supportive market. In this view, bio-fuel manufacturing units are being opened at many places in the State. There are also plans to purchase fuel seeds from the farmers through Raita Samparka Kendras,” he said. Joint Director of Agriculture Department K R Krishnaiah said 10 acre land belonging to the department at Kudige will be given to the Forest department to grow bio-fuel plants. The Agriculture department will look after the plantation in the coming days, he said.

Kodagu Circle Forest Conservator Markandeya, DFO Kantharao and Rajasekhar spoke on the steps being taken by the Forest department in growing fuel plants. DC K H Ashwathanarayan Gowda, SP Manjunath Annigeri, in-charge additional DC Dr N Shivashankar, Watershed Department official Somasundar were present.