About two million tonnes (MT) of sugar was diverted for ethanol production during the last sugar season (October 2020 to September 2021), Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said in a webinar on sugar production on Friday.
About 3.5 metric tonnes of sugar is expected to be used for ethanol production in the country during the current season, which began on Friday.
“[The] The ethanol journey has just begun. And, we look forward to new technological interventions in the future, and aligning our policies and programs in such a way that we optimize these value chains and enrich all stakeholders…and not just in India but help economies prosper globally,” he said.
Avinash Verma, Director General, Indian Sugar Mills Association, said the opening stock for the current sugar season is 8.5 MT and the production is estimated to be 31 MT. Exports will be around 6 million tonnes. The excess sugar production in the country goes for export as well as for ethanol production.
Association president Neeraj Shirgaonkar said that India is now a net surplus sugar producer. He said that exports and higher ethanol production would make the industry sustainable.
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