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Informist, Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024

 

NEW DELHI – Rice should not be used in the production of ethanol, Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said, speaking at the India Maize Summit in Delhi today. "Sugarcane, rice, and maize the three pillars of ethanol production. It is clear that rice should not be used for production of ethanol as it utilizes the most amount of water during the process," he said. 

His statement comes only weeks after the government, on Aug 29, lifted a 13-month ban on the sale of rice to grain-based ethanol distilleries. It allowed these entities to purchase up to 2.3 mln tn of the foodgrain through e-auction till October, a move aimed at boosting ethanol production and offloading excess stock held by Food Corporation of India. The government had banned the sale of rice for ethanol production last year.

The secretary also insisted that while diversification of crops is important, food security is a necessity which cannot be forgotten. "There are several uses of maize which is a good thing but also a challenge, as we need to prioritise between them and food security always comes first.

 

"Diversification is good till it does not affect the core food crops of the country," he said. "Poultry industry is growing at a fast pace and its demands of maize have been rising consistently," he said. However, the secretary also said he would advise that maize be grown in the summers as a zaid crop, so farmers do not entirely shift away from the growing of paddy and wheat which sustain the country. 

 

Zaid crops are grown for a short period between the kharif and rabi seasons, mainly during Mar-Jun. Kharif crops are sown at the beginning of the southwest monsoon season in June, and harvested at the end of the season around October, and then the rabi season starts.

 

According to the government's third advance estimate, India's maize production for 2023-24 (Jul-Jun) was pegged at 35.7 mln tn, lower than the previous year's final estimate of 38.1 mln tn. This was mainly due to erratic monsoon during the kharif season in major maize-producing states such as Karnataka.  

According to him, it is necessary for the industry to look into hybrid seed production for better yields. "We need to implement best practices which make production easier and more successful," he said. Almost 80% of the total maize crop is produced in kharif while the remaining in Rabi, he added.  End

 

Reported by Pallavi Singhal

Edited by Manisha Baxla

 

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