ANNOUNCEMENTS
The purpose of this study is to check the economic and ecological feasibility of biodiesel production from the Jatropha curcas plant on wastelands of Bhiwani district in Haryana, India. The feasibility is checked by analyzing the willingness of farmers to shift their land use towards Jatropha curcas cultivation on the wastelands owned by them in the Bhiwani district.The increase in environmental pollution caused due to the endeavors of the Indian economy to reach a higher level of economic growth has brought a rising concern to explore alternative sources of fuel for various modes of transportation. Biodiesel is one such alternative energy source that can effectively replace fossil fuels for saving the environment. The subsequent steps to bring this environmentally friendly fuel into the market involve cultivating the Jatropha curcas plant for producing biodiesel on those farmlands of Haryana where primary farm production does not take place. The data collection involved conducting a survey from structured questionnaire in the Bhiwani district to know farmers' willingness to cultivate Jatropha curcas cultivation. Cost benefit analysis and estimation of Benefit-Cost Ratio were adopted as methodology to find out the economic and ecological feasibility of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas cultivation. Farmers are also willing to cultivate crops at a good MSP (Minimum Support Price) rate if there is no demand for the crop in the market. Therefore, the study has attempted to propose MSP as well at which farmers will be willing to supply Jatropha curcas seeds for biodiesel production.
