Subject:- OUTLINE OF LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Managing Director, CDA has submitted Outline of Land

Development Plan for cultivation of Jatropha plantation in Cholistan
Area (PUC).
The proposal has been submitted by Investors Group
consisting of four parties namely Qarshi, Midland Foods, Irfan
Foods, Wali Oil Mills (Seasons) for establishing Jatropha plantation
on 200,000 acres of land in Cholistan area. All the investment for
establishment of nurseries, transplanting, irrigation through drip
irrigation, manures and fertilizers, training and pruning, hoeing and
weeding, pests and diseases, harvesting and extraction of oil will
be done by four parties. The marginal desert land consisting of
200,000 acres will be let out on lease basis.
Managing Director, CDA has informed that Federal
Government has already signed an MOU with the Canidian
Company for Jatropha plantation for 200,000 acres of land in
Cholistan and third desert. He has, therefore, recommended lease
of 15,000 acres of land to the consolation of Investors Group.
Submitted for further guidance.

(Dr. Mahmood Khalid

Qamar)
Chief (Regional Planning)
20.06.2009

SECRETARY, P&D
Subject:- OUTLINE OF LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Managing Director, CDA submitted Land Development

Plan for Cultivation of Jatropha plantation in Cholistan Area.
The proposal was examined and Secretary, P&D advised to get
copy of agreement signed by Federal Government and also get
views of Agriculture Section of P&D Department and Agriculture
Department (33/NP)
Managing Director, CDA was requested to send us a
copy of signed agreement but signed agreement has not been
made available and he has furnished us two pages 52 to 53.
Comments of Sr. Chief (Agriculture) have been
obtained vide para 46/N. He is of the view that proposal does not
seem to be materialized and need to be re-looked in view of
concern and experience of Agriculture Department on technical
grounds. He is of the view that quick decision will not be
admissible.
In these circumstances, it is proposed that Managing
Director, CDA may be advised to:-

i) Take up this case with Board of Revenue, to

prepare comprehensive proposal considering
present lease policy of the Government in CDA area.
ii) Proposal should not be limited only for four
investors as submitted by CDA and it should be an
open and transparent proposal for all.
iii) All interested should have equal chance to
participate in it. After that spade work, P&D can move
a summary to CM for allocating certain piece of land
for the cultivation of this crop and exploring the
investment in that activity.
iv) Environment concerns on the introduction of
Jatropha should be looked into.

Secretary P&D is requested to approve proposal as per

noting para 51(iii) & (iv).

(MUHAMMAD ASLAM CH.)

Chief (Regional Planning)
01.10.2009
SECRETARY, P&D
Subject:- LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR CHOLISTAN

Dr. Farid A. Malik, Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, Lahore

vide PUC has informed that Managing Director, CDA was given a detailed presentation
on production of Bio-diesel in Cholistan under public private partnership. For
Establishment of Jatropha Plantation in Cholistan a group of five local businesses (Qarshi,
Wali Oil Mills, Irfan Foods, Midland Foods, Khawaja Foods) will come forward. Dr.
Farid A. Malik has, therefore, requested for submission of a summary to the Chief
Minister Punjab in order to initiate the development programme.
The project was previously conceived by Managing Director, CDA who
has chaired a number of meetings on the subject to consider viability of Jatropha
Plantation in Cholistan. Managing Director, CDA has accordingly submitted an Outline of
Land Development Plan vide No. CDA-2009/GB/Col/66 dated 21.05.2009 (Flag “A”). A
gist of the proposal is as under:-
i. Punjab Agriculture Research Council has signed a MOU with a
Multinational Company (M/s Kijani Energy Inc. Suite 5700, 100 King
Street Wast, Torouto, Ontario, M5X 1C7 Canada) for Establishment of
Jatropha Plantation on 400,000 acres of land in Cholistan out of which
200,000 acres will be in Punjab and 200,000 acres in Sindh. (A copy of
MOU at Flag “B”).
ii. The Government agencies including Oil Seed Research Institute,
Faisalabad have no experience of Jatropha Plantation.
iii. Jatropha Plant is non-toxic with no threat to livestock. The plant has been
grown in Rajastan India where Indian Railways have established Jatropha
along railway tracks to produce diesel. Pakistan State Oil has been
entrusted with the task of producing bio-diesel from Jatropha for blending
its diesel.

The group of five firms (Qarshi, Wali Oil Mills, Irfan Foods, Midland
Foods, Khawaja Foods) are interested to have 15,000 acres of land (3,000s acre each) on
lease basis for Jatropha Plantation on individual basis without formulation of consortium.
In addition to this a nursery on 200 acres will also be required to be established in sweet
water areas of Cholistan.
The proposal has been examined in Regional Planning Section and it is
observed that:-
i. The proposal is silent about input from the group of local businesses
interested in lease of land.
ii. Proposal does not indicate the time frame about lease period and plantation
of jatropha on the leased areas.
iii. No monitoring mechanism has been suggested in the proposal.
 iv. The arrangements of extraction of oil after the maturity of plants have not
been discussed in the proposal of Managing Director, CDA.

In the absence of the information discussed above, the submission of

summary to Chief Minister Punjab will be pre-matured action.
Managing Director, CDA may, therefore, be requested to address to the
above issues and come up with a concrete proposal alongwith qualified offer of the group
of local businesses.

(Dr. Mahmood Khalid Qamar)

Chief (Regional Planning)
04.11.2009

SECRETARY, P&D