A German company that specializes in the production of fuel from jatropha plant (kasla in vernacular) and with branch in the Philippines is interested in building a P2.4-billion processing mill in Bacolod City that will extract oil from kasla seeds for export to Europe and other parts of the world.
Mario Macainan, president and chief executive officer of Kasla Energy Philippines, said the demand for oil from jatropha seeds is becoming bigger in Europe.
Macainan said, one-third of oil from jatropha seeds will be exported while the two-thirds will be used here for power generation to augment oil supply as a solution to the power shortage problems in Negros Occidental.
"While we are doing this for oil exploration, we will also provide sustainable livelihood to our people," he added.
"Kasla Group is a member of the United Nations Environment Program. While we are conducting oil exploration, we will reforest the area and build watersheds," Macainan assured.
Macainan and several Germans from the Kasla Group met with Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. recently to inform him of their plan to build a jatropha plant in Bacolod City.
"Based on our Letter of Intent to the Governor, the Kasla Group will build a processing plant for jatropha oil in the Bacolod Reclamation Area with an initial budget of P180 million," Macainan revealed.
"The following year, it’s going to be P240 million. Until 2015 our total investments will be about P2.4 billion," he said in an interview at the Governor’s Office.
The Kasla Group is composed of Kasla Energy Philippines, Kasla Milling GMBH, and Kasla Trading GMBH both of Germany. Kasla Philippines will buy the jatropha seeds from Negros farmers, while Kasla Milling will provide the infrastructures and equipment for the extraction of oil from jatropha seeds. Kasla Trading will export the said product to Europe, Macainan explained.
"We have already coordinated with Landbank of the Philippines (LBP). They will finance the kasla farmers, mostly the cooperative members, to cultivate jatropha plants. We are going to buy seeds from these farmers," Macainan said.
Jatropha is ecologically safer than eucalyptus as the latter has to be cut to extract oil, while the former needs only to extract oil from its fruits. (PNA) /MP
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