India can exceed 20 pc ethanol blending: Govt official

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) India has the production capacity to exceed 20 per cent ethanol blending, said a senior government official on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) 13th National Bioenergy Summit, here, where senior government officials, industry leaders, and global experts called for early planning beyond E20.

Ashwani Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, reiterated the government’s commitment to feedstock diversification and year-round ethanol supply.

“India now has the production capacity to exceed 20 per cent ethanol blending. Our focus is on building a robust, sustainable supply chain that supports both industry and farmers,” said Srivastava.

He also detailed ongoing initiatives such as the expansion of grain-based ethanol capacity, trials on sweet sorghum as a next-gen biofuel crop, procurement of broken rice from five states, and involvement of NAFED and NCCF in feedstock aggregation.

The summit underscored India’s rapid strides in ethanol blending and the growing role of sustainable fuels in decarbonising transport, aviation, and industry.

India’s recent achievement of 20 per cent ethanol blending was celebrated as a milestone made possible by strong policy support, industry investment, and farmer participation.

Tarun Sawhney, Chairman of the CII National Bioenergy Committee, stressed the need for long-term industry-government collaboration to build globally competitive supply chains.

Sawhney also called for early planning beyond E20, asking key stakeholders to consider next-phase transitions like E27 or E100, and underscored the need for inclusive consultations.

Meanwhile, the event also reiterated the partnership between India and Brazil -- two leading biofuel producers.

Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, Ambassador of Brazil, noted that India and Brazil have deepened cooperation and are global biofuel leaders in the world.

“There is a natural synergy between Brazil and India in clean energy innovation, and we are committed to strengthening this partnership through the Global Biofuels Alliance,” da Nobrega said.

Highlighting Brazil’s pioneering flex-fuel vehicle model and carbon credit market for biofuels, the Ambassador invited Indian stakeholders to explore investment opportunities and joint ventures.

“About 87 per cent of Brazil’s light vehicle fleet runs on ethanol. Our experience with flex-fuel engines, regulatory transparency, and carbon markets has shown that bioenergy can deliver both environmental and economic returns,” said the Ambassador.

--IANS

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