Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday said that the policy decision of the Modi Government on ethanol-blending has reduced the import bill of petrol, improved the environment, benefited farmers and increased the profits of sugar mills.

Shah, who attended the Sugar Industry Symposium and National Efficiency Awards 2022-23 function of NFCSF as the Chief Guest here, said the Modi government has ensured multi-faceted benefits to four sectors with the important decision of allowing 20 per cent blending.

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“It is constantly monitored, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, through the Group of Ministers which reviews and takes decisions every three months and that is why we have been able to achieve the targets in ethanol blending much before time,” the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said in his address.

He said when Biofuel alliance will create worldwide awareness of benefits of ethanol blending, the biggest beneficiary will be “our sugarcane farmers and sugar mills”.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said the Modi government has promoted economic development as well as rural empowerment through cooperatives.

“We have also worked to achieve energy security, environmental improvement and sustainable growth of sugar mills,” Shah said.

“Modi ji has set a target of 20 per cent ethanol blending by 2030, but we will achieve this target much before by 2025-26,” he said.

Shah said out of about 5,000 crore litres of petrol sold, the requirement of ethanol will be one thousand crore litres.

He presented National Efficiency Awards to cooperative sugar mills in eight areas of cooperatives at the function.

In his address, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said in the last 10 years, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the country has progressed in every field.

“We have been successful in increasing the area of sugarcane production by about 18 per cent from 5 million hectares in the year 2013-14 to 6 million hectares, in just 10 years. Sugarcane production has increased by 40 per cent from 352 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 491 million tonnes, today. Similarly, yield increased by 19 per cent and sugar production by 58 per cent,” he said.

“Compared to zero diversion of sugar for ethanol production in 2013-14, today a diversion of 4.5 million tonnes of sugar is being allowed for ethanol production. The sugar industry used to produce 38 crore litres of ethanol earlier and there was limited use of it, which has increased to 370 crore litres today,” the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said.

Shah said the direct benefit of all this has gone into the pockets of the farmers.