Sabah to test jatropha cultivation

The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry will launch a pilot project in Kota Marudu in Sabah, Malaysia, to cultivate jatropha. Should the project prove to be viable, commercial cultivation of the plant will be carried out in the state, the Minister, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, said. “We need to study the suitability of the crop in terms of soil and weather, and we chose Kota Marudu for the pilot project on the request of its MP, Datuk Maximus Ongkili,as the area is among the least developed in Sabah, and we must do something to improve the lot of the people in the constituency,” he said. Chin said the site for jatropha cultivation is being identified. (September 28, 2007)