PhilForest president and chief executive officer Rodolfo Noel I. Lozada Jr. said the firm will execute its assignment in two stages: propagate the energy tree via the large-scale production of seeds and seedlings and spearhead the commercial cultivation of Tuba-Tuba in partnership with other state agencies/institutions and the private sector (individual and groups of farmers, as well as landowners and agri-business enterprises).

These efforts of PhilForest will be accompanied by a sustained nationwide information and educational campaign on the know-how in the commercial planting of the tree and practical uses of its products, as well as on the commercial viability of developing and operating a Tuba-Tuba plantation and support business activities ranging from seeds/seedlings sales, oil extraction and processing.

PhilForest's board is chaired by DENR Secretary Angelo T. Reyes. Apart from Lozada, the other board members are Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri (NEDA) and NRDC chief Angelico Salud.

25-year stewardship

To encourage active private sector involvement in this initiative, Lozada said PhilForest has been clothed with the power to distribute property and usufructuary rights over public agricultural and forest lands, as well as provide support to the beneficiaries of such lands, to interested parties.

Access by private parties to idle government lands will be effected through the existing 25-year stewardship program, Lozada said, adding that the awardees will be required to commercially produce Tuba-Tuba seeds in two to three years.

PhiliForest has also committed to buy all the seeds produced by Tuba-Tuba planters at a guaranteed price of P100 a kilo during the first stage of the initiative or until August 2007 in support of its propagation program.

The firm's timetable calls for the development of Tuba-Tuba plantations covering some two million hectares of currently idle public and private lands that are unfit for food crop production in 10-to-12 years.

PhilForest estimates that this hectarage of Tuba-Tuba plantation would allow the local production of some 5.6 billion liters of oil a year, accounting for the bulk of the current annual petrol-based diesel demand of roughly seven billion liters.

Viable agri-business venture

Tuba-Tuba is a drought-resistant, perennial shrub (or small tree) that grows throughout the Philippines. This plant has been around for a long time and is known by different names in different regions. It is a hardy tropical and subtropical plant with an economic life of 35 years. It thrives well in marginal soil- sandy, gravelly, or saline - and high temperatures don't bother it. The Tuba-Tuba needs little or no maintenance and grows quickly (the first shoot appears within six days of planting). The seeds, from which the oil is extracted, can usually be harvested after a year.

The "energy" tree's natural low-maintenance cost, let alone the soaring prices of fossil fuels ensures the viability of its commercial cultivation.

Even at a petroleum price of only $46/barrel, an investor in a Tuba-Tuba plantation could reap a 20 percent return on its investments, which could further grow with the forecast sustained uptick in crude oil prices in light of the worsening crisis in the Middle East and growing world demand for this product.

Petroleum prices have breached the $78/barrel barrier and are forecast to eventually touch the $100/barrel level.

Local oil companies have been raising their prices (for gasoline and diesel) by a minimumP0.50/liter almost every other week due to the rising costs of petroleum crude because of expected shortages caused by the conflict in the Middle East and growing global demand.

Tuba-Tuba oil

Available data shows that three kilos of Tuba-Tuba seeds yield one liter of crude or unprocessed oil that can be used directly to run low-RPM diesel engine widely used in farms (hand tractors, water pumps and threshers) and in the fishing industry. This estimated Tuba-Tuba yield is equivalent to an average of five tons of seed or 1,430 liters of crude oil a year from a one-hectare land planted to 2,500 trees.

This means that a one-hectare Tuba-Tuba plantation could yield for its owner an annual income of P22,000-P25,000, better than the yearly earnings of marginal rice and corn farmers.

Household dependence on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and cut-wood could also be sharply reduced as Tuba-Tuba oil is flammable and could be used for cooking and for lighting.

The press cake has also been proven as good fertilizer and fodder for animals; the sediment obtained from the extracted oil has also been found useful as a basic ingredient in the manufacture of soap.

Even the plant itself is very useful in controlling soil erosion, making it a prime candidate as planting materials for reforesting logged over forests and mountains, as well as dry hilly lands prone to landslides during the rainy season, according to Lozada.

Showcase

To showcase the viability of its the Tuba-Tuba propagation program, PhilForest has:

• Jointly launched with the Philippine Army a pilot plantation in the Kalinga sa Kawal Village at Fort Magsaysay, in Laur and Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, covering some 10 hectares.
• Begun development work on a 5,000-hectare pilot plantation/nursery in Carmen, North Cotabato in partnership with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
• Tied up with the local government units (LGUs) for nursery operations in Isabela, Cagayan (900 has); Pili, Camarines Sur (20 has)Tigaon, Camarines Sur (20 has) and Davao City (50 has).
• Initiated talks with the DENR for the development of nursery areas and plantation on 167,107 has. In Region 13 (CARAGA region), Bicol Region, Regions 1 and 2.
• Signed up the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) to serve as its partners in the propagation of Jatropha curcas L. by operating nurseries, developing plantations for the energy tree, engage in research and development, and marketing of the tree species and other biofuel crops.
• Signed up The University of Santo Tomas Research Center for the Natural Sciences to undertake a project on the means of optimizing the extraction and esterification of oil from the Jatropha seeds.

Selected Tuba-Tuba species

• Jatropha aconitifolia, leaves of this tree were boiled and eaten by the Maya.
• Jatropha cuneata, stems are used for basket making in Mexico.
• Jatropha curcas, also called physic nut, is used to produce the non-edible Jatropha oil, for making candles and soap, and as an ingredient in the production of biodiesel. The trees produce 1,600 liters of oil per hectare. The cakes remaining after the oil is pressed out can be used for cooking, for fertilizing, and sometimes even as animal fodder, while the seed husks can be used to fuel generators. Large plantings and nurseries of this tree have been undertaken in India by women's self help groups, using a system of microcredit to ease poverty among the nation's semi-literate population of women. Extracts from this species have also been shown to have anti-tumor activity. The seeds can be used as a remedy for constipation, wounds can be dressed with the sap, and the leaves can be boiled to obtain a malaria and fever remedy.