The government’s Chief Economic Advisor V. Ananth Nageswaran says the sale of E10 petrol for old two-wheelers should be restarted. He warned that India will have to review the balanced mathematics of ‘food versus fuel’ and water consumption before increasing ethanol blending beyond 20%. 8 crore vehicles are in danger from E20 petrol. At present about 8 crore old bikes-scooters are running on the roads in the country. These run on the old ‘carburetor’ technology which was manufactured before the introduction of BS-IV engine norms. Your food should not become expensive due to fuel. India has saved billions of rupees on crude oil import by achieving the target of mixing ethanol in petrol ahead of time, but now a new crisis is arising behind it. To meet the increasing demand for ethanol, food crops like sugarcane, corn and rice are being sent to ethanol factories on a large scale. The Chief Economic Advisor has warned that if the government increases the amount of ethanol in petrol from 20% to 30%, then food crisis may arise. Maize is mainly used as fodder for poultry and animals. If ethanol manufacturing companies start buying maize by paying higher prices, then fodder for the poultry and dairy industry will become expensive. The result will be that the prices of eggs, chicken and milk will increase, which will directly lead to food inflation. Sugar and water crisis due to ethanol: The effect of mixing ethanol in petrol is now visible on the kitchen budget and water also. According to a Reuters report, this season about 10% of the country’s total annual production of sugar (about 3 million tonnes) was used to make ethanol. For this reason, the government is now thinking of banning the use of sugarcane for ethanol in the coming season, so that there is no shortage of sugar in the country and its prices do not go out of control. Along with this, due to the production of ethanol, the water level of the country is also falling rapidly. Sugarcane is a crop which requires a huge amount of water to grow. The Chief Economic Advisor says that we should not only look at the water used in ethanol factories, but it is also very important to calculate the billions of liters of groundwater that is being spent in growing sugarcane. The water which could have met other needs is being used to make fuel for vehicles. Government’s stance: E20 is safe, providing different petrol options is not easy On the other hand, the government has consistently defended the ethanol blending program. The government argues that E20 is saving huge amounts of foreign exchange and farmers are getting better prices for their crops. Based on government testing, it has also been said that there is no evidence of E20 causing large-scale damage to vehicle engines. Also, the government had rejected the demand for simultaneously making different types of petrol (E10 and E20) available across the country, saying that this would significantly increase logistics and supply chain costs. Way forward: Stick to E20, avoid hasty transition CEA Nageswaran’s main message is not to scrap the ethanol scheme, but to be cautious beyond 20%. The benefits of energy security must be weighed against the unseen losses that the agricultural sector and food economy may suffer. The debate is not limited to mileage or engine age, but depends on how much land and water India is willing to dedicate to fuel production.
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Government advisor said – E20 fuel causes harm to vehicles: Advised to bring E10 petrol again, also talked about food crisis
