100% ethanol fuel approval cheers sugarcane growers in Mysuru

Welcoming the Union government’s decision to permit the use of 100% ethanol as an alternative to petrol and diesel, Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association has said the decision fulfils a long-pending demand raised by farmers nearly two decades ago.

The association president, Kurubur Shanthakumar, recalled that delegates at the South India Farmers’ Convention held in Mysuru in 2006 passed a resolution urging the Centre to promote ethanol production from sugarcane and allow its use as a fuel.

The convention argued that the large-scale adoption of ethanol could significantly reduce India’s fuel import bill and save substantial foreign exchange. Farmer organisations had continued to pursue the demand over the years, and the Centre’s decision marks the culmination of those efforts, the farmer leader said in a statement here.

Referring to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s remarks, Mr. Shanthakumar said that the wider use of ethanol could help the country save up to ₹22 lakh crore in foreign exchange. The policy is expected to create fresh opportunities for sugarcane and maize growers in helping boost ethanol production, he added.

The decision is likely to foster greater competition among ethanol-producing factories, resulting in better and more remunerative prices for farmers’ produce.