THE GOVERNMENT has decided not to encourage biofuels at the cost of foodgrain production. While a policy for biofuels has been cleared last week and targets have been set to step up diesel blending, senior government officials are of the view that no foodgrain or oil-seed should be used for producing biofuels.
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 11 Envisaging a target of 20 per cent blending of bio-diesel and bio-ethanol by year 2017, the Cabinet today approved the National Policy for Bio-fuels. The Cabinet also approved setting up of a National Bio-fuel Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and a Bio-fuel Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Cabinet secretary for the implementation of the National Policy for Bio-fuels.
At the current rate of use the crude oil reserves of the world are predicted to deplete in about 40 years. Therefore, it has become necessary to find and devise methods of processing a renewable raw material for conversion into transportation fuel. Some countries are manufacturing ethanol from sugarcane or cereal grains and blending it with petrol to reduce crude oil imports. This entails diverting agriculturally productive land for the production of fuel. An alternative is to use inedible
Minister for Medical Education Ramachandre Gowda underlined the need to develop alternative sustainable forms of energy that would be able to fulfil the requirement of the large population.
Dilip Kumar Jha / Mumbai September 2, 2008, 3:57 IST
Concerned with the abnormally high prices of molasses, sugar mills have asked oil companies to raise the ethanol procurement price by 40 per cent for the recently-floated tender.
