Bio-diesel development from Jatropha curcas (JTC), a tropical plant, is currently being carried out in various parts of the world. High oil content of the JTC seed, high cetane number of the JTC biodiesel, its drought resistant characteristics, its toxicity, which makes it unwanted by both humans and animals, and its various other uses render this plant an extremely promising source for bio-fuel development in arid areas and rural communities in the developing world, in particular. Catalytic hydrocracking of various other vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil and soybean oil, has been reported. Chemical composition of JTC seed oil shows similarities in fatty acid composition to these oils. A two-stage catalytic hydrocracking process is proposed to convert JTC oil to high-cetane number biodiesel. If successful selectivities are obtained at the bench scale, this technology could be implemented in existing refineries in developing countries without major modification.