In the first 100 days of its third term, the government has introduced a range of policies aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference marking the completion of 100 day of the Modi 3.0 regime, Shah highlighted that the government has rolled out initiatives valued at Rs 15 lakh crore across 14 key sectors.
To boost ethanol production, the minister said sugar mills are being converted into multi-feed distilleries.
“Now, mills can make ethanol not only from sugarcane juice but also from maize. Ethanol will be made from maize when sugarcane juice is required for making sugar in the country. Ethanol from sugar juice will be made when there is higher sugar production,” he explained.
In August, ethanol blending in petrol reached 15.8 percent, and cumulative ethanol blending from November 2023 to August 2024 stood at 13.6 percent.
According to available official data, the ethanol received by PSU OMCs under the EBP program in August 2024 was 65.3 crore liters, with a total of 526.6 crore liters from November 2023 to August 2024. Ethanol blended under the EBP program in August 2024 was 66.0 crore liters, and 545.0 crore liters from November 2023 to August 2024.
The government aims to achieve a 20 percent ethanol blending rate with petrol and is confident it will reach this target.
Recently, the government has allowed sugar mills and distilleries to produce ethanol from sugarcane juice, B-Heavy Molasses, and C-Heavy Molasses during the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25. Additionally, the government has lifted a previous ban and permitted the sale of up to 23 lakh tonnes of rice from Food Corporation of India (FCI) stocks to grain-based ethanol distilleries. This is expected to significantly enhance ethanol production.
