- What happens if my trees die, or are ravaged by disease or an act of God?
All trees will be replaced up to the minimum term of 35 years or for the term of the lease at no charge to the tree owner. The programme manager will replace all dead or low-yielding trees and any which become unproductive due to factors beyond normal control, including but not limited to political, agricultural and weather risk.
- Who buys the end product?
Intially the programme manager looks to sell locally and then develops from there. The programme manager have established and deveoped the markets, they actually sell the Energy rather than the oil. The energy is usually sod to the grid, Blue Chip & established companies also in some cases Governments.
- What happens when I have completed the application form and purchased my trees?
You will be required to complete a Purchase Management Agreement and this, along with your application form and investment amount, will be your contract. You will be allocated a referance number and, within 30 days of receipt of cleared funds and signed Purchase Agreement, you will be issued with a Certificate which recognises the trees’ inception. Newsletters and updates will be provided regularly and your revenues will be paid to you at the end of each year, following your trees’ inception.
- Can we choose the country we have our trees in?
This isn’t possible as some of the programmes are fully subscribed. Returns are similar throughout the plantations. The current Programme availability is located in Thailand and Cambodia because they are also linked to subsistance farming.
- How likely is it that I will be able to re-invest my returns in the future?
We are constantly scouring the world for land which will be suitable for the Jatropha programmes. There will be availability in the future but it is difficult to set timeframes due to the ever growing popularity of the programmes.
- How does the programme benefit local populations?
It is very empowering for local farmers as there is no sense of charity. They are given the seedlings, shown how to look after them and the programme managers agree to purchase the fruit produce from them at the end of the year. The pricing element is critical. The programme managers pay less than food crop returns so they don’t displace these primary food crops.
About Jatropha