India’s attempts at crop diversification are expected to get a boost as the country plans to tap substantial quantities of corn (maize) for producing ethanol for its fuel blending programme, which is expected to mix 20 per cent ethanol with motor spirit by 2025-26.

India would be needing close to 156 lakh tonnes of grains, mainly corn, for meeting its ethanol production target in 2025-26, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday. This is expected to improve the market for corn in the country, which has been a low-paying crop for farmers. Besides providing cleaner fuel, 20 per cent ethanol blending is expected to help the country save as much as ₹30,000 crore in its crude import bill, said the Department of Food and Public Distribution.

As per the plan envisaged, India would be producing a total of over 1,350 crore litres of ethanol to meet its ethanol blending requirement as well as for other uses by 2025-26. About 666 crore of ethanol would come from grains alone and the rest from sugarcane. In 2020-21 ethanol year (from November 2020 to October 2021), public sector oil marketing companies have contracted for a supply of 323 crore litres of ethanol, which is sufficient for 8.5 per cent blending. 

World over, corn is used predominantly to produce ethanol with 73 per cent of ethanol coming from it. Sugarcane accounts for the rest. Besides ethanol, a corn-based distillery can produce dried distillers’ grains with solubles, a protein-rich ingredient of poultry and cattle feed. “Any corn-based distillery now will have to have a DDGS plant in-built to produce protein-rich DDGS diet for poultry and cattle feed,” said Pandey.