Biodiesel in India: Value chain organisation and policy options for rural development in India

Project description

Fragestellung:
India’s high rate of economic growth provides an opportunity to reduce poverty significantly. The rapidly increasing demand for energy however creates a challenge. Energy supply needs to be secured in a situation of increased dependence from imports and rising energy prices.
Biofuel, especially biodiesel from the tree borne oil seeds Jatropha and Pongamia, is a promising source of non-fossil energy in India if this industry is developed appropriately. Jatropha and Pongamia have the potential not only to substitute fossil energy sources, thereby improving India’s trade balance, but also to put wasteland to productive use, prevent soil erosion and generate substantial income and employment. Its viability however depends on technological improvements along the whole value chain (improved plant breeding, cropping practices, processing technologies, and end-use technologies) as well as social innovations in order to increase the inclusiveness of the industry.
The research team intends to contribute to a better understanding of biodiesel production in India. The project identified technological challenges along the value chain for biodiesel and discuss the appropriateness of existing and potential incentives for technological innovation, combining an innovation systems and a pro-poor growth perspective. The project provided recommendations for future Indo-German collaboration both in the fields of development cooperation and scientific/technological cooperation.

Publikationen zum Themengebiet
Altenburg, Tilman / Hildegard Dietz / Matthias Hahl / Nikos Nikolidakis / Christina Rosendahl / Kathrin Seelige (2009): Biodiesel in India: value chain organisation and policy options for rural development, Studies 43