New Delhi: The Central authorities on Friday allowed sugar mills to use each cane juice and B-heavy molasses for ethanol manufacturing. However, it imposed a restrict on the diversion of sugar for this function, setting it at 17 lakh tonnes for the present provide 12 months of 2023-24.
The determination comes every week after the federal government prohibited using sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for ethanol manufacturing. This determination got here in response to trade appeals for a reversal of the sooner directive.
17 lakh tonnes of diversion of sugar for making ethanol
“The flexibility has been given to sugar mills for using both sugarcane juice and B-heavy within an overall cap of 17 lakh tonnes of diversion of sugar for making ethanol in the ongoing 2023-24 supply year (November-October),” Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra advised information company PTI.
He mentioned {that a} committee of ministers took the choice throughout its assembly on Friday.
The determination to permit sugar mills to use each cane juice and B-heavy molasses for ethanol manufacturing is available in response to trade representations searching for a evaluate of the December 7 order. This earlier order had banned the instant use of cane juice and sugar syrup for ethanol manufacturing. It, nevertheless, had allowed the provision of ethanol from current provides obtained by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) from B-heavy molasses.
“We are working on modalities to decide on the proportion of cane juice and B-heavy molasses to be used for making ethanol,” Chopra mentioned, including that already some amount of ethanol has been produced utilizing cane juice within the present provide 12 months.
6 lakh tonne of ethanol produced utilizing cane juice
Another meals ministry official mentioned about 6 lakh tonne of ethanol has already been produced utilizing cane juice earlier than the federal government issued the December 7 order.
The authorities has estimated sugar manufacturing to decline to 32.3-33 million tonne within the 2023-24 season (October-September), as in opposition to 37.3 million tonnes within the earlier season. “We were anticipating cane production to be low but didn’t anticipate it to go down further. The recent rain has brought the recovery per cent further down. The drought in Maharashtra and Karnataka is worrying,” Chopra had mentioned just lately.
(With PTI inputs)
