Akola: Farmers can turn fuel producers and become prosperous as the government has permitted the production of ethanol from rice, jowar, and maize, said Union Minister for Road, Transport, and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.
He was speaking while inaugurating the two flyovers in Akola city of Maharashtra.
Gadkari said, “The center has now granted the permission to start ethanol production using rice, jowar, and maize as raw materials, and the farmers can increase their income.”
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, till the year 2014, in India, ethanol distillation capacity of molasses-based distilleries was only about 215 crore litres. However, in past 8 years due to the policy changes made by the Government, the capacity of molasses-based distilleries has been increased to 569 crore litres. Capacity of grain-based distilleries which was 206 crore litres in 2014 has increased to 298 crore litres. Thus, the total ethanol production capacities have increased from 421crore litres to 867 crore litres in just 8 years.
Recently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, had also approved the Amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels -2018. It will help further to raise ethanol production.
