Jaipur: Rajasthan, the first state in the country to develop a biofuel policy, seems to have lost out mid-way and is struggling to get back on the track.While the country celebrates an airplane being flown on biofuel, Rajasthan, which had drafted a policy way back in 2006 and had established an experimental plant in Udaipur district, has relaunched attempts to develop biofuel as an alternate fuel.It was in 2006 that on the request of the then state government, Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd (RSMM) had established a demonstrative plant at Jhamar Kotra Mines premises in Udaipur. Funded by RSMM, the plant focused on research and developing of bio-diesel from different seeds. The capacity of plant was about one metric tonne per day.Seven years after its launch, lack of funds and an outdated technology led to the plant being shut down in 2013. By then, they were able to produce about 90 lakh litres of bio-diesel, which was used in the campus vehicles like buses, trolleys, dumper trucks.Deputy CEO of biofuel authority of Rajasthan, Maninder Singh said, “They conducted many experiments on many types of seeds — Jatropha, Mahua & Karanj — from which biofuel is produced. However, as the experiments were costly, they decided to shut it down after receiving no aid from the state or the Central government.”As Rajasthan does not have any processing unit of its own, the Jatropha farmers sell the produce outside the state. The Jatropha produced within Rajasthan is considered to be of best quality in the country, as it contains around 25% - 41% oil in one seed.Though the authority is hopeful right now, as about five private companies are to open bio-diesel production units in the state. Officials claim that these units will benefit the state’s farmers, particularly those in the 12 southern districts, which are identified to be suitable for Jatropha farming.

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