D1 Oils to invest in jatropha plantations

D1 Oils India Pvt. Ltd. will invest around Rs40 crores (US$9.8 million) in several projects including jatropha cultivation and setting up of a biodiesel refinery, according to Chairman and Managing Director Sarju Singh. In 2007-08, the company plans to cultivate around one lakh hectares of land for jatropha. It has entered into joint ventures in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa, besides all the seven states in the northeastern region, he said. (June 3, 2007)