Grain-based feedstocks power nearly 70% of India’s ethanol supplies in 2025-26

New Delhi: Grain-based feedstocks have emerged as the dominant source of India's ethanol supply, contributing nearly 70 per cent of cumulative supplies, under the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26 as of August 2026, according to data compiled by the All India Distillers' Association (AIDA).

As per the data shared by AIDA, India's overall ethanol supplies reached 895 crore litres by the end of August, representing around 85 per cent of the 1,048 crore litres contracted.

"India's ethanol supply ecosystem is becoming increasingly diversified, with grain-based feedstocks contributing 624 crore litres of ethanol by the end of August 2026, accounting for nearly 70% of cumulative supplies under Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26," the release said adding, "Of the 895 crore litres supplied cumulatively by August-end, 624 crore litres came from grain-based feedstocks, while sugar-based feedstocks contributed 271 crore litres."


Among grain-based feedstocks, maize was the largest contributor, supplying 345 crore litres of ethanol, followed by surplus Food Corporation of India (FCI) rice at 214 crore litres and damaged food grains at 64 crore litres.

At the same time, sugar-based feedstocks contributed 271 crore litres by August-end. "Within this, Sugarcane Juice contributed 149 crore litres, followed by B Heavy Molasses at 107 crore litres and C Heavy Molasses at 15 crore litres," it noted.

However, the release noted, "as domestic ethanol capacity and supply continue to expand, the next challenge will increasingly be to ensure that production growth is matched by adequate and predictable avenues for utilisation."

According to the release, this will become increasingly important as India moves beyond the existing ethanol-blending framework towards wider use in Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), Compressed Biogas (CBG), Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other applications.

Bharati Balaji, Deputy Director General, All India Distillers' Association (AIDA), said, "The August-end numbers demonstrate how significantly India's ethanol supply ecosystem has evolved. Nearly 70% of the 895 crore litres supplied so far has come from grain-based feedstocks, with maize contributing 345 crore litres and surplus FCI rice contributing another 214 crore litres. At the same time, sugar-based feedstocks continue to provide a substantial share of supplies. This diversity is an important strength of India's ethanol programme, as it enables the industry to draw upon multiple domestic agricultural resources and reduces dependence on any single feedstock pathway."