Toyota Tsusho Corp., the trading affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., plans to start growing jatropha next year as it bets that higher crop yields and oil prices will make the plant a profitable alternative fuel. Fuel made from jatropha seeds helped power a Boeing 747 flight last year, as record oil prices spurred companies to grow corn, sugarcane and other plants to produce biofuels. Toyota Tsusho bought a stake in Singapore-based seed researcher JOIL(S) Pte. this year to develop a better plant after erratic yields prompted BP Plc and rivals to pull out of production ventures. “We need to dramatically increase the plant’s yield in order to make this profitable,” Hattori said in an interview. Rising oil prices and government legislated use of biofuels would also help make the business viable, he said.
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