Ethanol blending programme: Grains to make up for lower sugar production

Grains look to surpass sugarcane again as the primary feedstock for ethanol, a process that may be helped by government incentives to convert mills into dual-feed ones

One of the fallouts of plunging sugar production numbers in India is whether the country will have adequate quantities of ethanol for its blending programme in the 2024-25 supply season that ends on October 31, 2025. The question now facing policymakers is whether they need to make a mid-season course correction to ensure that the programme is not jeopardised.

 

Already, as per some industry estimates, total sugar diverted for producing ethanol is now expected to be around 3.2-3.5 million tonnes (MT), lower than the estimated 4 MT at the start of the season.

 

The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association