Economic valuation of potential products from Jatropha seed in five selected countries: Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mali, Indonesia, and The Netherlands

Currently, Jatropha seeds are mainly used to produce biodiesel, and a resultant press cakeis obtained as a by-product. Jatropha press cake fractionation and conversion into variouspotential products using biorefinery, could improve the economic value of Jatropha seed.The objectives of this study were to calculate the potential generated income and economicvalue of products from Jatropha. These were classified into two product groups: 1) Ruralproducts, and 2) Industrial products. The potential generated income is the summation ofthe net profit and the labour costs. Using the national gross domestic product (GDP) percapita as a reference, we calculated and compared the potential economic value, whichexpresses the number of people that could obtain a certain income for every hectare ofJatropha plantation, in five selected countries. These countries consisted of four developingcountries: Tanzania, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia, and a developed country, theNetherlands. This study shows that the potential generated income from rural productsper hectare of (imported) Jatropha was much lower than the income of one person inIndonesia and the Netherlands. In Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Mali, the potential economicvalue per hectare Jatropha suggests that manufacturing rural products can generate potentialincome for one person. Manufacturing industrial products can generate potentialincome for one person in the Netherlands and approx. 7e39 people in Indonesia,Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Mali. In conclusion, the potential generated income is highlydependent on the GDP per capita and the price of the selected products in each country.