Trading volumes in Jatropha crude oil, Jatropha biodiesel, and Jatropha bioker­osene are still very small. As biofuels are a substitute for petroleum, the market is closely tied to that of petrofuels and also palm oil. Usually, biofuel it trades at a premium, also because the energy content per tonne is higher than the energy in a tonne of crude oil. Crude Jatropha oil has been traded in the Rotterdam harbor at the price of crude oil plus 10%. Professional traders like to take palm oil as a benchmark to hedge their exposure. I am sure within 5 years we will witness the development of a transparent futures market in crude Jatropha oil, maybe in Singapore, Shanghai, Dalian, Sao Paolo, or Kuala Lumpur.

The properties described below make Jatropha one of the lowest-, if not the lowest-, cost means of biofuels production. Analysis suggests that it could be used to produce fuel for approximately $43 a barrel.

3.1.24