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Finnish investors to pour millions on Bohol jatropha, timber projects
| By ANGELINE VALENCIA | January 2, 2010 5:35 p.m. A consortium of investors from Finland banked off an investment originally intended for Mindoro Occidental and shifted focus to Bohol for its jatropha and timber plantation project. Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado’s chief of staff Antonieto Pernia, who is also the project director of jatropha propagation in the province, confirmed this after the Finnish investors discussed the details with provincial officials during their visit to Bohol last week. FAO consultant Mike Jurvelius of Barbadenis Oy- -a large timber company in Finland, came to Bohol on December 27, together with Lawyer Dennis Eala of Veridium Technology, and Lawyer Reino Hepooja- -representing a consortium of Finnish investors, to discuss their plans with the governor. The next day, the visitors checked the timberland areas in the municipalities of Pilar, Sierra Bullones, San Miguel, and Getafe. They also checked the port areas of Ubay and Talibon for shipping sites. Pernia said the Finnish investors intend to pour US$ 20 million or P1 billion for the first 5,000 hectares of timberland and another P1 billion for the expansion area of additional 5,000 hectares. “They will also initially invest P500 million for the first 5,000 hectares of jatropha plantation, for which they will hire a minimum of 50 persons per 100 hectares to maintain the plantation for the next ten years,” Pernia added. This means the project’s initial phase, covering 5,000 hectares, will “generate a sustainable employment of at least 2,500 farmhands for ten years, on top of the employment that can be generated when farmers start planting jatropha”, Pernia explained. The Finnish investors found it viable considering that Jatropha curcas, the variety planted in Bohol, will start bearing fruits upon reaching eight months old up to its 50th year. The Finnish investors had already coordinated with Bohol Investment Promotion Center (BIPC) Head Maria Fe Dominise and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Nestor Canda for the requirements after Pernia furnished them copies of the initial details on land use plans of potentials sites. The visitors, accompanied by forestry and environment consultants June Alvarez and Gualberto Tortoza- -both representing Eco-Innovations, had also met with other provincial officials- -Provincial Administrator Handel Lagunay, Provincial General Services Office Head Linda Yu, and Assistant Provincial Treasurer Priming Ontong for the other pre-requisites in establishing the projects. Earlier, the Bohol Jatropha Propagation Project had forged partnership with H&WB Corporation which will put up an oil extraction facility that will process jatropha seeds into jatropha oil and jatropha methyl ester or jatropha biodiesel. Since last week of July, Pernia’s team had started working on the project’s first phase covering at least a thousand hectares of planting areas of the participating farmers-coops in different barangays of Bohol. Aside from providing alternative livelihood to Boholano farmers, the project also supports its reforestation program of the provincial government. The target can also reach 12,000 hectares of planting areas which means employment opportunities for 24,000 Boholanos, aside from helping reforest the denuded and idle lands. The job opportunities that the project offers are expected to double during harvest season. | 
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