Patna: Bihar’s Industry Minister Dilip Jaiswal on Thursday told the Legislative Council that the state has the highest number of grain-based ethanol plants in the country and assured members that the government will not allow any of them to shut down, Jagran reported.
Responding to a calling attention motion raised by Legislative Council members Sachchidanand Rai and Dinesh Singh, Jaiswal said that once ethanol plants have been set up, it becomes the government’s responsibility to support them. He assured the House that the government would make arrangements for ethanol sales and work towards increasing the ethanol quota.
Members informed the House that production at ethanol plants has dropped to around 50%, and some units have already shut down. They said this has led to a sharp fall in maize prices, from ₹21-22 per kg to ₹13-14 per kg, causing losses to farmers.
Addressing the concerns, the minister said a delegation comprising the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Secretary recently met Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri to discuss the issue. He said there has been agreement to increase Bihar’s ethanol quota, considering the state’s specific circumstances.
The minister added that Bihar currently has 11 dedicated ethanol plants that have agreements with the central government. In addition, eight more ethanol plants have been set up, though they do not have formal agreements with the Centre. He reiterated that the state government will not allow any ethanol plant in Bihar to close under any circumstances.
