Japanese firm to invest P10B in jathropa project

HERMOSA, Bataan - The Japanese firm Shomar International Trading Corp. will invest P10 billion for the production of biodiesel sourced from the jathropa plant, locally known as tuba-tuba, or tangan-tangan, Mayor Efren Cruz Jr. said Friday.

The company, headed by chief executive officer Shoji Nakai, chose Hermosa as its main base after a team of Japanese experts inspected the area and considered its proximity to the seaport of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Hermosa is part of the former American naval base, now the SBMA, together with Morong, Bataan, Subic in Zambales and Olongapo City.

Nakai is married to a native of Hermosa, Marimel Dayrit, president of Shomar.

Cruz said about 5,000 hectares of idle land in the town will be planted with tuba-tuba where oil can be extracted from its seeds. The company needs about 75,000 hectares for its tuba-tuba plantation, which could become productive after two to five years.

The company will establish warehouses and a press-out factory in Hermosa for the extraction of oil. "The project will surely create jobs and additional revenues for our town and the whole province," he said. Ernie B.Esconde - ABS CBN