Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called on the Centre to increase ethanol blending in petrol from the present 20 per cent to 40 per cent. “The move will reduce India’s dependence on crude oil imports, save foreign exchange, and provide significant benefits to maize farmers,” he pointed out. In particular, the Chief Minister asked Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri to speedily implement the enhanced ethanol blending.
He informed Puri that he has already written to the Centre on increasing the ethanol content in Indian fuel to 40 per cent. Referring to countries, such as Brazil, where ethanol blending levels are considerably high, Naidu underlined that India too should aggressively move towards higher blending ratios to strengthen energy security and cut the burden of petroleum imports. The Chief Minister said the existing ethanol blending programme has already helped the country save nearly ₹1.1 lakh crore in foreign exchange and reduce carbon emissions by about 500 lakh tonnes. He emphasised that expanding ethanol mix will generate additional income for sugarcane and maize farmers. He mentioned that farmers across the country are already earning ₹87,558 crore through the existing initiative of ethanol blending. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh produces maize on a large scale.
An increase in ethanol blending would significantly improve demand for the crop, as maize is a major raw material for ethanol production. The CM expressed concern that despite the Centre fixing the minimum support price for maize at ₹2,400 per quintal, procurement is not taking place at this rate. As a result, maize prices in the open market have fallen to between ₹1,700 and ₹1,800 per quintal, adversely affecting farmers.
The Chief Minister requested the Centre to take an early decision on raising the ethanol blending ratio to safeguard the interests of the country. He disclosed that during his recent visit to New Delhi, he had discussed the matter with union Home minister Amit Shah.
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