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Informist, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024

 

By Pallavi Singhal

 

NEW DELHI – The government is considering the use of sweet sorghum as feedstock for ethanol production, Ashwani Srivastava, joint secretary in the Department of Food and Public Distribution, said on the sidelines of an Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India conference. The move comes as the government aims to diversify its feedstock for ethanol production, reducing its reliance on sugarcane and maize.

 

"We realised last year that only sugar-based feedstock would not be sufficient to reach our goal of blending 20% ethanol by 2025-26. The government then started promoting using maize for the production, which this year became the largest feedstock, accounting to over one-third of the total ethanol produced," Srivastava said. "While we are focusing on increasing the yield and productivity of maize as maize has become the largest feedstock, we are also exploring other alternatives like using sweet sorghum for the same."

 

In August 2023, the supply of rice from Food Corp. of India for ethanol production was put on hold. In December last year, due to low sugarcane production, the government restricted the use of sugarcane juice and other by-products for ethanol production. Oil marketing companies then increased the price of ethanol from maize, resulting in greater use of maize as feedstock for ethanol.

 

Srivastava said the government has now identified sweet sorghum, a drought-tolerant crop, as an alternative due to its high biomass production and adaptability. "Sweet sorghum with wider adaption and high potential for bioenergy and ethanol production is expected to meet food, fodder and fuel requirements in future. Due to its short growing time of three-four months, it could be cultivated and supplied quickly during the lean period of sugarcane crushing," he said.

 

According to him, research is underway to determine the feasibility of large-scale sweet sorghum cultivation for ethanol production. The National Sugar Institute in Kanpur and ICR-IIMR Hyderabad are working together to test promising sweet sorghum genotypes for their sustainability in subtropical conditions, Srivastava said. 

 

"They (the institutes) initially started with testing of nine sweet sorghum genotypes in different seasons at the sugar institute and then, based on the performance of different seasons, five best have been shortlisted, and further studies are being undertaken in this regard. So, sweet sorghum may be the future feedstock for ethanol in India," he said. 

 

"The basic concern is that we need to ensure sustainable development of ethanol production capacity. It is crucial since it is connected to the production of food. We shifted our focus from one crop to another because of food security," Srivastava said.  End

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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