BIONAS, 13th May 2008 - The latest development of BIONAS Agropolitan Technology Corridor Development, BATC Development Bhd has entered the 2nd Phase of the Bio-Diesel Project on Jatropha Curcas plantation where the participants plantation program who comes from rural areas together with the joint venture with Cooperative & Goverment Agencies will start to produce the required materials starting June 2008. 178 BIONAS Nursery Nationwide will be appointed by phases as the BIONAS Collection Centre at their own place in order to ease the participants in selling their crops.

The Press Mill for producing the Jatropha Crude Oil will start operation in August 2008 at Jeram, Selangor and Jawi, Nibong Tebal, Penang. Both plants be able to produce 120,000 MT Jatropha Crude Oil annually with invesment amounting up to RM20 million.

The refinary plant for processing the Jatropha Crude Oil to become Bio-Diesel at Lumut Industrial Centre, Perak with production capacity of 60,000 to 120,000 MT annually will start operation in November 2008 whereby the refinery plant at Tanjung Langsat Port, Pasir Gudang, Johor with production capacity of 120,000 MT p.a will start operation in January 2009 with invesment for both refineries amounting more than RM180 million.

Up to date BIONAS has signed the Agreement with YPJ Palm International Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of YPJ Holding, a Johor State Goverment Company, Loreno Bio Chem Ltd, Singapore and Grand Inizio Sdn Bhd.

BIONAS will announce Refinery Plant at Lahad Datu, Sabah resulted from joint venture agreement with an international company which already in the final stage of discussion of proposed collaboration.

Whereas in Lawas, Sarawak, BIONAS will build the Press Mill and Refinery Plant with capacity of 240,000 MT p.a and expected to be in full operation in middle 2009.

BIONAS has an ability to produce 730,000 MT of Jatropha Crude Oil and 340,000 Jatropha Bio-Diesel in the middle of 2009.

BIONAS encourages public who owns idle land to start planting Jatropha Curcas in order to meet the demand of Bio-Fuel and Bio-Diesel worldwide. The needs for jatropha fruits to be processed now approaching 2.2 million ton with a return of RM1.87 billion to the land owner. For record, BIONAS buy back guarantee of jatropha fruits in Malaysia is RM850/ton.