The Planning Commission hailed it as a future fuel and the industry projected it as a viable biofuel crop. But the Union Rural Development Ministry led by Jairam Ramesh feels otherwise. Citing negative reports, the Ministry has put on hold the Jatropha plantation programme for biofuel purpose. It has thus also put a question mark on the future of the proposed National Mission on biofuels. The Ministry’s decision to not to go ahead with the plantation programme is based on a government sponsored study conducted in 2010 by The Energy Research Institute (TERI) which pointed out that the plantation of the oil seed plant was not only financially unviable but also poses a threat to food security. The Ministry was to undertake 300,000 hectare plantation of bio-diesel producing, non-edible oilseeds species on degraded forest land subject to receipt of positive feedback of the assessment of the plantation work already carried out in the country. However, the negative recommendation by the TERI after making an assessment of the plantations which have already taken place in the country could cast a shadow on the proposed National Mission on Bio-fuels, which is aimed at promoting the crop as an alternate source of depleting fossil fuel. A total of 13 million hectares had to be brought under jatropha plantations by 2013. The TERI report claimed it did not find Jatropha plantation as viable as has been so far made by various sectors. The report said it is grown on wastelands or un-irrigated lands, the energy that we get back is not commensurate with the expenditure that has gone for the plantation. “It also says that it is not economically viable and it is not possible for India to convert the agricultural land into Jatropha growing land because we will face a very acute food security problem,” a senior official in the Ministry said on the content of the report. Treading cautiously, the RD Ministry has decided to adopt wait and watch policy in the matter while referring it to the Cabinet for further decision. “Further plan of action of the Land and Resource Department of the RD Ministry which is a nodal agency for implementing the project will depend on the decision of the CCEA,” the official said. In view of negative observation by the TERI about non-viability of the demonstration phase, the Department has decided not to go ahead in the direction and hence no budget provision has been kept for 2012-13.