Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday urged the farmers to make ethanol.
While addressing a gathering at Vita, Maharashtra, he said that “Due to availability of water don’t go for sugar production, better shift for Ethanol production.”
“I am happy that the farmers can irrigate their land due to Tembhu irrigation scheme, which will provide them with sufficient water. But don’t shift to sugarcane. In Brazil sugar is getting sold at Rs 20 per kg and in India, we are giving the price to sugarcane considering sugar Rs 34 per kg. The situation will worsen further and to avoid these shift to ethanol production instead of sugar. The central government will purchase as much ethanol you can produce.” he further added.
Earlier also, Gadkari had pitched the solution to come out of crisis prevailing in the sugar industry is to move away from sugar production towards the production of ethanol.
Opposition parties have attacked BJP government over mounting cane arrears.
