The government is exploring various feedstocks to boost ethanol production, including sweet sorghum as a potential feedstock for biofuel output.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, informed the Rajya Sabha about the measures the government is taking to increase ethanol production in India.
In response to a question regarding whether the government has announced specific pricing for ethanol produced from sweet sorghum to promote biofuel production, he stated, “Sweet Sorghum has been identified as a potential feedstock for ethanol production in the National Policy on Biofuels. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has informed that demonstration on intercropping sweet sorghum with sugarcane has been approved under National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) during 2024-25. No specific pricing for ethanol produced from sweet sorghum has been announced so far.”
The Government, since 2014, has taken several measures to enhance blending of ethanol in petrol which inter-alia includes expansion of feedstock for production of ethanol, administered price mechanism for procurement of sugarcane based ethanol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, lowered GST rate to 5% on ethanol for EBP Programme, introduction of various Ethanol Interest Subvention Schemes (EISS), during 2018-22, for ethanol production from molasses as well as grains and Long Term Offtake Agreements (LTOAs) by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) with Dedicated Ethanol Plants (DEPs) etc., Notification of the “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan – Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana” 2019, amended in 2024, to provide financial support for integrated bio-ethanol projects for setting up Advanced Biofuels projects in the country using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock, publishing guidelines for sale of biodiesel for blending with high speed diesel for transportation purposes-2019, reduction in GST rate for procurement of biodiesel for blending programme from 12% to 5%, amendment in the National policy on Biofuels-2018 mandating 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel.
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