Efforts on to Introduce Ethanol in Agri, Construction Equipment: Gadkari
(Press Trust of India/India Standard) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday stressed on the need to switch to alternative fuel like ethanol and said efforts are on to introduce ethanol in construction and agriculture equipment.
The Union road transport and highways minister said the country imports petroleum products worth Rs 10 lakh crore to meet the requirements in the energy and power sector, and in the next five years, the demand may go up to Rs 25 lakh crore, which will affect the economy.
Gadkari was speaking at the state-level Sugar Conference 2022 organised by Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune.
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Highlighting the need to shift from sugar production to ethanol, the minister said, The rise in sugar demand across the globe is temporary. When the price of crude oil goes up to $140 per barrel, Brazil produces ethanol from sugarcane, increasing the demand for sugar from India. When the price of crude oil dips to $70 to $80 per barrel, Brazil starts producing sugar.”
When crude oil becomes cheaper, sugar prices will also come down drastically, he said.
Gadkari also asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to set up ethanol pumps in Pune, to help farmers sell the fuel directly.
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The chief minister further said cultivators must consider adopting micro-irrigation for sugarcane crop, as water is a valuable resource and rainfall is unpredictable. READ MORE
