Lok Sabha Question No. 4433 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Impact of Ethanol Blending on Poultry Industry
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi, Dr. Kirsan Namdeo

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4433

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  March, 2025

## IMPACT OF ETHANOL BLENDING ON POULTRY INDUSTRY

## 4433.  DR. KIRSAN NAMDEO:

ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI:

## पेᮝोिलयम और ᮧाकृितक गैस मंᮢी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  findings  of  any  impact  assessments  conducted  on  ethanol  blending expansion particularly concerning food security, water usage and air quality;
- (b) the  measures  taken/being  taken  to  mitigate  any  adverse  environmental  or agricultural consequences arising from increased ethanol production;
- (c)  the specific impact on the poultry industry due to diversion of feed for ethanol production  and  measures  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  assist  the industry to cope with it; and
- (d) the  current  ethanol  blending  percentage  achieved  in  different  States  and  the projected timeline for meeting the 20% blending target, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

पेᮝोिलयम और ᮧाकृ ितक गैस मंᮢालय मᱶ रा᭔य मंᮢी ( ᮰ी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a) & (b):  Government have been promoting blending of ethanol in petrol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme with multiple objectives. As a green fuel, Ethanol  supports  the  environmental  sustainability  efforts  of  the  Government.  It reduces  import  dependence  on  crude  oil  while  saving  foreign  exchange  and promotes domestic agriculture sector.

EBP Programme has resulted in expeditious payment to farmers of  more than Rs. 1,04,000 crore from Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2014-15 up to January 2025, besides  savings  of  more  than  Rs.  1,20,000  crore  of  foreign  exchange,  net  CO 2 reduction of about 626 lakh  metric  tonne  and substitution of more  than  200  lakh metric tonnes of crude oil.

The National Policy on Biofuels promotes use of feedstocks such as  corn, cassava, rotten potatoes, damaged food grains like broken rice, food grains unfit for human consumption, maize, sugarcane juice & molasses, agriculture residues (Rice straw, cotton stalk,  corn cobs,  sawdust, bagasse  etc.). The  extent of utilization of individual feedstock for ethanol production varies annually, influenced by  factors such  as  availability,  costs,  economic  feasibility,  market  demand,  and  policy incentives.  Any diversion of sugarcane juice, its by-products, maize etc. for ethanol production is carefully calibrated in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Government  is  also  encouraging  farmers  to  diversify  from  water  intensive crops  like  rice,  sugarcane,  etc.  to  more  sustainable  crops  like  maize  for  ethanol production. The 'Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25' has also noted that technological advancements have made it possible for molasses-based distilleries  with  incineration  boilers  and  grain-based  distilleries  to  become  zero liquid discharge (ZLD) units, resulting in negligible pollution.

(c): The Government has implemented measures to support the poultry industry. Around 60% of the country's maize is utilized by the poultry industry. To ensure steady availability and affordability of poultry feed, diversification in feed sources has been promoted. Additionally, farmers are encouraged to incorporate alternative feed ingredients like sorghum, broken rice, and bajra (pearl millet) as poultry feed. Further,  producing  ethanol  from  grains  like  maize  yields  a  valuable  co-product known as Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS), which is rich in protein and widely used as cattle and poultry feed.

(d): The  National  Policy  on  Biofuels  -  2018,  as  amended  in  2022, inter-alia advanced the target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol to Ethanol Supply Year (ESY)  2025-26  from  2030.  During  the  ongoing  ESY  2024-25,  Public  Sector  Oil Marketing  Companies  (OMCs)  have  achieved  ethanol  blending  of  17.98%  up  to 28.02.2025.  For  the  month  of  February  2025,  ethanol  blending  of  19.68%  was achieved  by  Public  Sector  OMCs.  The  blending  percentage  achieved  in  different States/Union Territories during ESY 2024-25 as on 28.02.2025 is at Annexure .

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PART  (d)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4433 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 27.03.2025 ON 'IMPACT OF ETHANOL BLENDING ON POULTRY INDUSTRY' ASKED BY DR. KIRSAN NAMDEO & ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI:

Ethanol blending achieved in States/UTs during ESY 2024-25 up to 28.02.2025

| STATE / UNION TERRITORY (UT)          | %Blending (Sales)   |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------|
| Uttar Pradesh                         | 17.63%              |
| Maharashtra                           | 17.79%              |
| Tamil Nadu                            | 18.26%              |
| Karnataka                             | 18.28%              |
| Kerala                                | 18.58%              |
| Gujarat                               | 17.94%              |
| Andhra Pradesh                        | 18.02%              |
| Telangana                             | 18.20%              |
| Haryana                               | 18.63%              |
| Madhya Pradesh                        | 18.29%              |
| Rajasthan                             | 17.99%              |
| West Bengal                           | 18.68%              |
| Punjab                                | 18.48%              |
| Assam                                 | 17.96%              |
| Odisha                                | 18.34%              |
| Bihar                                 | 17.95%              |
| Delhi                                 | 18.00%              |
| Chhattisgarh                          | 15.31%              |
| Jharkhand                             | 17.51%              |
| Himachal Pradesh                      | 18.47%              |
| Uttarakhand                           | 17.96%              |
| Goa                                   | 14.90%              |
| Jammu &Kashmir                        | 17.57%              |
| Arunachal Pradesh                     | 17.78%              |
| Lakshadweep                           | 15.00%              |
| Ladakh                                | 15.00%              |
| Sikkim                                | 18.50%              |
| Andaman &Nicobar                      | 5.00%               |
| Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman &Diu | 18.01%              |
| Nagaland                              | 18.10%              |
| Tripura                               | 17.69%              |
| Mizoram                               | 15.41%              |
| Manipur                               | 16.84%              |
| Chandigarh                            | 18.27%              |
| Meghalaya                             | 17.94%              |
| Pondicherry                           | 18.37%              |
| Cumulative Ethanol Blending           | 17.98%              |