CAIRO: The Egyptian state run MENA news agency reported Cairo is currently looking into the expansion of the cultivation of the jatropha plant as a means of producing biofuels. The move comes as Egypt expects population growth to continue to expand and the country's limited energy sources may not be enough to support a massive increase in people. The agency quoted an Agriculture Ministry official as stating that 200 feddans (84 hectares) in the Red Sea province of Hurghada would be planted with jatropha. The official was reported saying that the ministry is looking into the possibility of getting assistance on the project from Japan. Jatropha is a non-food crop whose oil can be used to produce biodiesel. It can be grown on semi-arid land and so hold less of a threat to food production than other biofuel feedstocks, such as grains and vegetable oils, supporters of the move say. Corn is also a prominent biofuel and with Egypt's production of the crop in the south, experts wonder why ethanol is not being sought. “We have a massive corn produce down south and I wonder where the government is on looking into its cultivation,” said one expert in alternative energy. “At least they are doing something,” he added. Officials report that Egypt's combined oil and gas reserves should enable the country to maintain its current energy production for another three decades, but the drive for renewable resources appears to be happening. **information from wire reports was used in this report BM