Commitment to EBP scheme gives sugar enterprise self assurance to set up distilleries
To ensure that the us of a does no longer miss any possibility to generate its very own gasoline and bring down import dependence, the authorities proposes to apply surplus foodgrains for ethanol manufacturing. Public quarter oil refining-cum-marketing businesses are waiting for formal suggestions, which are anticipated any time soon.

The selection to apply damaged foodgrains for making ethanol suggests the government’s dedication to selling the ethanol mixed petrol (EBP) programme even if crude oil prices are down, and sends a message that the programme does now not depend entirely on sugarcane supply, said an enterprise source.

The indicative goal laid down within the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 is to acquire 20 in line with cent blending of ethanol in petrol within the united states of america by way of 2030. The coverage also envisages use of broken foodgrains, rotten potato, corn and sugar beet.
A senior executive from a public sector oil company stated: “The pointers will outline from where the procurement will be done, how lots procurement and the pricing mechanism. The oil agencies will not be directly shopping foodgrains but they will take ethanol constituted of it through a tendering system.”

Using surplus rice in godowns
Last month, the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC), under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, had decided that the surplus rice available with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) may be converted to ethanol and used for making alcohol-primarily based hand-sanitisers and in mixing for the EBP programme.

The National Policy on Biofuels additionally permits production of ethanol from damaged foodgrains inclusive of wheat and broken rice, which are unfit for human consumption. It additionally, beneath Para 5.Three inter-alia, envisages that during an agriculture crop yr when there may be projected over-supply of foodgrains, as anticipated by means of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the coverage will allow conversion of the surplus portions of foodgrains to ethanol, based on the approval of NBCC.

In truth, the dedication to the programme offers first rate self belief to the sugar enterprise to go ahead with its plans to installation distilleries to make ethanol, stated Abinash Verma, Director-General of Indian Sugar Mills Association.

Being a touchy difficulty, the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry did now not percentage the quantum of surplus foodgrains to be had. In reality, many Opposition party leaders criticised the Centre for making foodgrains available for gas programme while human beings do no longer even get sufficient to consume.

However, in a respond to a Lok Sabha question, the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry, on March 17 said that the not-so-negligent amount of foodgrains became rotten at the same time as being saved in godowns of FCI and Central Warehousing Corporation among 2014 and 2018.

As consistent with the reply, the whole quantity of foodgrains lost due to terrible storage turned into around 38,616 tonnes in the five years.