ARTICLE 4 #BiofuelIndia

According to a recent article, India is projected to consume 8 billion liters of ethanol by 2025. The projection comes from the Executive Director of the International Sugar Organization. This substantial increase in ethanol consumption is aligned with India’s efforts to blend more ethanol into petrol and reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports.

India's ambitious push towards ethanol blending has seen a significant shift, with maize emerging as a central feedstock. The government's E20 program, aiming for a 20% ethanol blend in petrol by 2025, has accelerated this transformation.

New Delhi, 1 November 2025 – The Indian sugar industry has expressed serious concerns over the government’s ethanol policy for the 2025‑26 supply year, warning that the shift towards grain-based feedstocks could threaten sugar mills’ operations and farmer incomes.

A high-level delegation representing Bihar’s ethanol industry met with a senior government official in New Delhi to discuss the current challenges facing the sector and explore ways to strengthen ethanol production in the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister has announced that a meeting will soon be held with distillery operators across the state to direct them to begin immediate procurement of maize for ethanol production.