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After meeting the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in Petrol, the time has arrived when India should gear up for exporting ethanol given its surplus production in the country, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Wednesday.
"It is the time for India's futuristic development. We need to reduce our imports and increase our exports. As far as the surplus of ethanol, it is now the requirement of the country that we need to export ethanol," he said while addressing the 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Bioenergy and Technologies held in New Delhi. India's ethanol production capacity reached an annual production of approximately 1,822 crore liters by June 30, 2025, with the government's Ethanol Blended with Petrol (EBP) Program actively promoting increased production to meet its 20 per cent blending target for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26. The production relies on both molasses (sugarcane-based) and grain (maize, rice) feedstocks. In the ongoing ESY 2024-25, an average of 19.05 per cent ethanol blending was achieved as of July 31, 2025. The Minister highlighted Brazil's pioneering role in ethanol and stressed that India too is rapidly scaling up. He cited the success of corn-based ethanol, which raised farmer incomes significantly. "Farmers now earn Rs 45,000 crore more annually because of ethanol policies. Diversifying agriculture towards energy is the need of the hour," he said. He underlined India's advances in ethanol blending, with petrol now carrying up to 20 per cent ethanol. He also pointed to initiatives to convert rice straw into ethanol and bio-CNG, which would help address stubble burning and Delhi's severe pollution. "With 500 plants under development, rice straw will no longer be waste but a source of energy," he added. On innovation, Gadkari spoke about successful trials of bio-bitumen roads, ethanol-powered generators, and flex-fuel vehicles. He said automakers, including Toyota, Tata, Mahindra, Suzuki, and Hyundai, are adopting flex-fuel technology, while tractor makers and construction equipment manufacturers are also shifting to biofuels and hydrogen. He also emphasised new frontiers such as green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel, citing pilot projects already underway. The minister also reiterated the government's commitment to alternative fuels, aiming to cut pollution, reduce import dependency, and boost farmers' incomes. "Nearly 40 per cent of air pollution in India is caused by transport fuels. At the same time, we import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore annually. It is time for the world and India to embrace alternatives like ethanol, bio-CNG, and sustainable aviation fuel," he said. He concluded by stressing that biofuels represent not just an environmental necessity but also an economic revolution for rural India. "This is about reducing pollution, creating jobs, strengthening agriculture, and ensuring Atmanirbhar Bharat. The sky is the limit for India's biofuel future," he said. (ANI)
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