Ahuja estimates 165 LMT required for ethanol production
To achieve the target of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2025, India would require about 1,016 crore liters of ethanol annually, according to Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja.
For this, about 1,700 crore liters of ethanol producing capacity would be require considering plant operates at 80% efficiency, he said, adding that about 334 crore liters of ethanol would be required for other uses, he told a one-day seminar on ‘National Seminar on Maize to Ethanol’ organized by Department of Food and Public Distribution in Delhi on 2 May 2023.
It is estimated that to achieve the target of 20% blending, the requirement of food-grains for ethanol production would be around 165 LMT every year.
In India, distilleries generally produce ethanol from molasses which is the by-product of sugar. However, only sugarcane route is not sufficient to achieve the 20% blending target, therefore, ethanol from food-grains such as maize, damaged food grains (DFG) and rice available with FCI has also been allowed.
Target of E 20 was preponed from 2030 to 2025 so that India can have clean fuel with propagating farmers’ interests. fiinews.com
