A group of farmers' representatives from several sugarcane-growing states will travel to Brazil to study ethanol production and use and submit a report to the government.
The delegation will also include members from the private sector and government authorities, and it is slated to depart soon. The study team will also include farmer leaders from Maharasthra and Uttar Pradesh, according to Kurubur Shanthakumar, President, Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association, who is one of the delegates.
"We have repeatedly urged the government to implement an ethanol policy that will boost ethanol production and help farmers." Mr.Shanthakumar stated, "We held a farmers convention in 2006 and voiced the demand, and the government is currently working in that direction."
According to him, increasing ethanol production was a solution to the financial problem that sugarcane farmers were experiencing as a result of the sugar mills' failure to pay their dues. Instead, if sugarcane is diverted for ethanol production, Mr.Shanthakumar says, he will be able to get competitive prices from ethanol distilling facilities.
He said that not only was ethanol-petroleum blending more environmentally benign, but it would also save the government money by reducing petroleum imports.
The visit is especially significant in light of India's strategy for ethanol blending, which was issued last year and predicts that ethanol distillation would double by 2025.
Ethanol is a colourless, transparent liquid with a distinct odour. It has a somewhat sweet flavour in dilute aqueous solutions, but a scorching taste in highly concentrated solutions. Ethanol has a normal density of 0.789 g/ml at 20°C and melts at -114.1°C. It boils at 78.5°C.
Ethanol has been produced by fermenting sugars since prehistoric times. This technique still produces all beverage ethanol and more than half of industrial ethanol. The primary components are simple sugars. Sugarcane, sweet sorghum, and sugar beet are utilised as sugar-containing feedstock in the manufacturing of ethanol across the world. Maize, wheat, and other grains contain starch, which can be turned into sugar very quickly. Sugarcane molasses is the primary source of ethanol in India.
