Oil from J. multifida was extracted and it was first converted into N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Jatropha fatty amide (HEJFA). HEJFA has been synthesized by reaction between Jatropha oil and diethanol amine in presence of zinc oxide as a catalyst. The reaction is relatively rapid and proceeded to high yield at 200±5 OC. The resulting HEJFA was used to formulate thermosetting coating compositions. Films were cured at ambient (air drying) and elevated (stove drying) temperatures using N, N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Jatropha fatty amide (HEJFA) as eco-friendly crosslinking agent for acrylic resin. The coating performance of the various compositions was tested by measurement of scratch hardness, impact strength and chemical resistance. The results show better performance of the HEJFA based compositions compared to butylated melamine formaldehyde (MF) based compositions.