On Saturday, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted the need to switch to alternative fuels like ethanol and said efforts are on to introduce ethanol in agriculture and construction equipment.

The Union Minister told the media that the country imports petroleum products worth Rs 10 lakh crore to fulfil the requirements in the energy and power sector, and in the following five years, the demand may increase up to Rs 25 lakh crore, which will impact the economy.

At the state-level Sugar Conference 2022 organised by Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune, Gadkari said alternative fuel is the future. After electric scooters, cars, and buses, soon electric tractors and trucks will be there.

Gadkari said diesel-based agriculture equipment should be made petrol-based, and flex engines can be transformed to run on ethanol. Efforts are also being made to introduce ethanol in construction equipment also.

Stressing the need to shift from sugar production to ethanol, the minister said the increase in sugar demand across the world is temporary. When the price of crude oil increases to $140 per barrel, Brazil creates ethanol from sugarcane, raising the demand for sugar from India. When the cost of crude oil drops from $70 to $80 per barrel, Brazil starts creating sugar. When crude oil becomes cheaper, sugar costs will also come down drastically.

Gadkari also asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to install ethanol pumps in Pune to support farmers selling the fuel directly. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who addressed the conference virtually, said sugar producers in the state were encountering several problems. Sugarcane workers are essential, and the Gopinath Ustod Kamgar Mahamandal has been formed to assist in resolving problems faced by them.

The chief minister said cultivators must think about adopting micro-irrigation for the sugarcane crop, as water is a valuable resource, and rainfall is inconsistent.

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