Overview

• Speaking at a bioenergy conference in New Delhi, Nitin Gadkari said India should begin planning for ethanol exports following the achievement of 20% blending in petrol.
• India’s ethanol production capacity stood at about 1,822 crore litres annually by June 30, 2025, with average blending at 19.05% in ESY 2024–25 as of July 31.
• Gadkari highlighted plans to convert rice straw into ethanol and bio-CNG, noting about 500 plants under development to curb stubble burning and reduce pollution.
• He said major automakers including Toyota, Tata, Mahindra, Suzuki and Hyundai are adopting flex-fuel technology, alongside trials of bio-bitumen roads and ethanol-powered generators.
• The minister credited ethanol policies with adding roughly Rs 45,000 crore to farmer incomes annually and pointed to a Rs 22 lakh crore fossil-fuel import bill and heavy transport-fuel pollution as drivers for the shift.