Government to consider farmers' views on ethanol policy: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

New Delhi: The government will consider farmers' views on the ethanol blending petrol policy, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday, after meeting a delegation of the All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC), which demanded that the benefits of the scheme reach farmers rather than companies and middlemen.

Chouhan told the delegation that the government's vision is to ensure gains from the ethanol programme are shared across the value chain - "from farm to the fuel tank" - but that the largest share of the benefit must go to farmers.

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The AIKCC delegation was led by its national president and former MP Bhupinder Singh Mann, and included Binod Anand, Gurusahab Singh Mann and Gunwant Patil, among others.

Stating that ethanol would strengthen both the country's energy security and farmers' financial well-being, Chouhan said the government was committed to ensuring no crop or state faces injustice under the programme, according to an official statement.

He assured the delegation that the policy would be reviewed to maintain a balance between the prices and demand for maize, rice, sugarcane and other feedstocks. Decisions would be taken keeping farmers' interests - particularly those of maize growers - as the primary consideration, he said.

Chouhan added that scientific studies and technical reports on ethanol would be used to counter "negative narratives", and that a fact-based dialogue would be held with farmers on the issue.

The farmers' representatives, while extending their support for the ethanol programme, stressed that its actual benefits must reach farmers rather than being confined to companies or middlemen.

Also Read: Fueling Demand: Inside India’s ethanol mobility revolution in reverse

Several leaders pointed to misinformation being spread on social media that ethanol harms vehicles or causes losses to farmers.

They urged the Ministry of Agriculture and farmer organisations to work together to clarify which crops stand to benefit from ethanol, and how the shift from water-intensive crops to drought-resistant ones could be facilitated. They also called for presenting an accurate picture of ethanol to the younger generation through various media platforms.

The farmer leaders said they would help farm produce move beyond mandis to petrol pumps and the energy market, creating a new avenue for farmers.

The AIKCC representatives said they would work to dispel misconceptions about ethanol at the ground level and collaborate with the government to strengthen the policy-making process in farmers' interest.

While the meeting's focus was on ethanol, the two sides also discussed other issues, including farmers' income, Minimum Support Price (MSP), markets and the national agricultural policy.

The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) policy was launched in 2003 to cut crude-oil imports, improve energy security, and support cleaner mobility. The current controversy centres around E20, i.e. the 20 per cent ethanol blend, which the government says was rolled out after technical checks and stakeholder consultation, but many consumers say the nationwide switch came too fast and without enough transparency.