The government is considering giving priority to ethanol production from maize and broken grain rather than sugarcane, with an inter-ministerial committee preparing a roadmap to raise ethanol blending beyond 20 percent, reported Moneycontrol citing senior government official.
According to the official, as concerns grow over the balance between food availability and biofuel production, the committee is exploring ways to ensure that food security is not compromised while expanding ethanol output, as per the news report.
“The committee is looking at striking a balance between different sources such as maize, broken rice, corn, sugarcane and molasses for ethanol production to ensure food security,” the official said.
The committee is expected to release a draft report soon. The report will outline a detailed plan for increasing ethanol blending and will be submitted to the Union Cabinet for approval.
The committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
India is making significant progress in its Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme as it ramps up ethanol production. In the current Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25, ethanol blending in petrol reached 19.7 per cent in April, while the cumulative average ethanol blending from November 2024 to April 2025 stood at 18.6 per cent.
Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) received 87.9 crore liters of ethanol under the EBP program in April 2025, bringing the cumulative total to 457.4 crore liters from November 2024 to April 2025. According to official data, the ethanol blended under the EBP program in April 2025 totaled 86 crore liters, bringing the total to 477.1 crore liters from November 2024 to April 2025.
