Beyond the more altruistic benefits of promoting biodiesel production, there's the fairly recent passage of law 57-07 in the DR which provides substantial tax breaks to encourage projects such as this. I've been researching the idea of a similar project though things are very much still in the concept stage. Reducing the consumption of imported fuels while promoting viable cash crops and reforestation are all noteworthy endeavors and if one can turn a profit doing so, all the better.
Have you researched the altitude issue at all? Jatropha grows all over the place but it seems from a study done in India that elevation affects oil concentration in the nuts. If your goal is simply utilizing fallow land this is not as much of a concern but from a commercial viewpoint one would wish to maximize productivity. The land for planting most easily available to me is at an altitude similar to your Piche site but it would appear this may be higher than ideal. Any thoughts?
regards,
Dag
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