India becomes 3rd Largest Ethanol Producer

Published on 21 Mar 2025

• India is now the third-largest producer and consumer of ethanol globally.

• Farmers are shifting from “Anna Dattas” (food providers) to “Urja Dattas” (energy providers) through renewable energy production.

• Over the past decade, sugarcane cultivation grew by 18%, with a 40% increase in production.

• Ethanol is made from sugarcane by fermenting the extracted juice or molasses with yeast, which converts the sugars into ethanol.

• The ethanol is then purified through distillation and dehydration for use as biofuel.

• Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP), launched in 2003, seeks to blend ethanol (currently targeted at 20% by 2025) with petrol to create a more sustainable fuel alternative.

• The USA, primarily from corn, Brazil (sugarcane) and India (sugarcane and molasses) are the top three producers of ethanol.

Keywords:

ethanol energy renewable energy sugarcane sugarcane industry Indian industries Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme Biofuel National Biofuel policy