The food ministry has allowed sugar mills to convert their existing stocks of 670,000 tonnes of B-heavy molasses into ethanol, according to a senior official from the food ministry. The petroleum ministry has been asked to instruct oil retailers to lift ethanol to be used in the next cycle, the official added.
This decision underscores the government's comfort with the current level of sugar production relative to domestic consumption needs, said the official who did not want to be identified.
The directive comes at a crucial time as it aligns with the end of the sugarcane crushing season and supports India's ambitious ethanol-blending targets—E15 by 2023-24 and E20 by 2025-26. It also aims to expedite payments to sugarcane farmers, thus enhancing their financial stability.
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