UP aims to lead nation in ethanol production

Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, the minister for sugarcane development and sugar industry, announced at the Confederation of Indian Industry's Sugartech conference that Uttar Pradesh's ethanol production capacity is presently estimated at two billion litres per year. He mentioned that this capacity is nearly eight times greater than the 240 million litres per year capacity five years ago. The minister stated that, with this remarkable growth in capacity, Uttar Pradesh was on track to become the leading ethanol producer in the country. He also noted that the state's sugar industry had surpassed a value of Rs 120 billion. Furthermore, he predicted that the state's ethanol capacity would reach 2.25 billion litres per annum within a few years. He emphasised the substantial support received from the industry in terms of investments in plants, technology, and the expansion of cultivation areas over the past six years. DS Mishra, Chief Secretary, underscored the significance of the sugarcane sector in Uttar Pradesh's goal to achieve a $ 1 trillion economy. He described the sugar sector as an exemplary illustration of a circular economy that provides employment opportunities to over 4.5 million families connected to the sugarcane sector in Uttar Pradesh. This includes activities such as sugar production, ethanol production, jaggery production, power cogeneration, and Khandsari production. He also mentioned that the combined annual sugarcane economy in the state amounts to approximately Rs 500 billion. Mishra pointed out that the state government is actively working to integrate the sugarcane crop into an attractive ethanol value chain to ensure profitable prices for farmers and double their income. Roshan Lal Tamak, the conference chairperson and executive director and CEO of sugar business at DCM Shriram, commended the state government's efforts in establishing progressive policy infrastructure and revitalising struggling sugar mill units. Additionally, Prabhu N Singh, the cane commissioner, discussed the Uttar Pradesh Bio Energy Policy, which was unveiled in September 2022. The policy aims to encourage the development of compressed biogas plants, bio-diesel production facilities, and bio-coal production plants utilizing bioenergy waste. Also read:  Power ministry pushes for GST cut on hydropower project components GMR subsidiary wins Rs 51.23 bn smart meter project in Uttar Pradesh