Ratanjot to be cultivated on large scale

WITH THE price of diesel doing up day by day the need of a cheaper alternative is being felt keenly. A cheap alternative to the diesel has been found in ?Jatropha? (Ratanjot). For the cultivation of Jatropha, the nationalised banks are providing loans and ?Shantikul Agrotek? is providing saplings and know-how to the farmers.

WITH THE price of diesel doing up day by day the need of a cheaper alternative is being felt keenly. A cheap alternative to the diesel has been found in ‘Jatropha’ (Ratanjot). For the cultivation of Jatropha, the nationalised banks are providing loans and ‘Shantikul Agrotek’ is providing saplings and know-how to the farmers.

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Avinish Jain of Shatilkul Agrotek, in a talk with the Hindustan Times, said that ratanjot could be cultivated successfully in any type of land. It starts providing commercial yield within three years, which continue for next 40 years. Even in
areas that do not have irrigation and other facilities farmers can cultivate ratanjot and take advantage.

Jain pointed out that the fertility of soil increases by the cultivation of ratanjot. The farmers can extract oil from the ratanjot seed, which can be used in running tractors, generators and diesel pumps. Oil cakes can be used as good bio-fertiliser, which contain 4.44 per cent nitrogen, 1.68 per cent potash and 2.09 per cent phosphorous. Ratanjot can be cultivated in barren land as well.