A file photograph of labourers loading sugarcane on a cart in a subject at Zaherabad, about 110 km (68 miles) west of the southern Indian metropolis of Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The authorities ought to come out with a transparent roadmap on ethanol sourcing from the sugar industry, mentioned Aditya Jhunjhunwala, President of Indian Sugar Mills’ Association.
The Niti Aayog envisages requirement of 1,400 crore litres of ethanol to realize 20% mixing by 2025-2026. In the present ethanol yr that started on November 1, 2022, practically 550 crore litres of ethanol has been produced and 450 crore litres of it got here from the sugar industry. The remaining was from maize and broken grain.
“We (the sugar industry) need to double capacity to produce 750 crore litres. We need to put up more plants and that requires capex and time. We need a clear road map and the prices should be based on a long-term formula taking into consideration the FRP, inflation, sugar prices etc.,” he mentioned.
Oil firms have elevated the value for ethanol from broken grains and maize. The sugar industry expects the necessity to make investments nearly ₹17,500 crores and cheap ROI to create further ethanol capability. For this, it must know the pricing roadmap, he mentioned.
Mr. Jhunjhunwala added that the federal government must also have a look at E 100 gasoline (pure ethanol), which is related and accessible in Brazil. Further, “we have requested Indian Oil Corporation for a trial project with ISMA to produce ethanol from bagasse. IOCL has put up a trial at Panipat to produce ethanol from agri residue,” he mentioned.
