India Chemicals Blog

Is India being too hasty in introducing mandatory ethanol blending? The government is on the verge of announcing a policy of 10% blending with petrol from October 2008.

Those in favour point out that introducing ethanol to the fuel mix will cut India’s dependence on imported oil and contribute to energy security.

The move will keep the agricultural lobby happy as sugarcane farmers and sugar companies are suffering as a result of oversupply this year.

However, the experiences of other countries suggest that India needs to do some careful thinking. A big concern is whether there will be enough local ethanol supply. There are doubts on whether ethanol will turn out to be environmentally friendly as growing sugar cane, to produce ethanol, involves cultivation of vast tracts of land plus water, labour and fuel.

Some economists also question if India should look at importing ethanol rather than producing it locally.

For more on the world of ethanol and biofuels turn to Simon Robinson's The Big Biofeuls Blog.

The Indian cabinet has approved a national biofuel policy that is likely set a higher blending target.

Details of the policy have not been announced but it has been reported that the government will mandate 20% ethanol or biodiesel blended petrol by 2017. Currently, the country has 5% ethanol blending which would rise to 10% from next month.

Experts have already started questioning the wisdom of the new policy. Will enough land be available for biofuel crops such as jatropha? And what implications would this policy have on India's food production?

Higher use of biofuels will intensify the debate on the use of farmland for fuel in India, and encourage farmers to reduce grain cultivation for food, says TK Bhaumik, an economist with Assocham, a leading business chamber.

"Land is not elastic. If there is more pressure to grow oilseeds or corn to derive biofuels and farmers get a good price for them, they will obviously neglect grain production," he adds.