New Delhi, May 19 (IANS): The government on Wednesday said that export of sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 is 15 times the amount exported in sugar season 2017-18.

India exported sugar to countries like Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Malaysia, and various African countries.

The government said that in sugar season 2020-21, against a target of 60 LMT, about 70 LMT have been exported. About Rs 14,456 crore was released to sugar mills in the past 5 years to facilitate export of sugar and Rs 2,000 crore as carrying cost for maintaining buffer stock. Since, the international prices of sugar are in uptrend and stable, so, contracts for export of about 90 LMT have been signed to export sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 and that too without announcement of any export subsidy, out of which 75 LMT have been exported till May 18.

It said that it is encouraging sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol. With the vision to boost agricultural economy, to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel, to save foreign exchange on account of crude oil import bill and to reduce air pollution, the government has fixed a target of 10 per cent blending of fuel grade ethanol with petrol by 2022 and 20 per cent blending by 2025.

Till year 2014, ethanol distillation capacity of molasses-based distilleries was only about 215 crire litres. However, in the past eight years due to the policy changes made by the government, the capacity of molasses-based distilleries has been increased to 569 crore litres. Capacity of grain-based distilleries which was 206 crore litres in 2014 has increased to 298 crore litres. Thus, the total ethanol production capacities have increased from 421 crore litres to 867 crore litres in just 8 years.

Supply of ethanol to OMCs was only 38 crore litres with blending levels of only 1.53 per cent in ethanol supply year (ESY) 2013-14. Production of fuel grade ethanol and its supply to OMCs has increased by 8 times from 2013-14 to 2020-21.

In ethanol supply year 2020-21 (December-November), about 302.30 cr litres of ethanol has been supplied to OMCs thereby, achieving 8.1 per cent blending levels, which is historically highest.

In the current ESY 2021-22, about 186 crore litres ethanol have been blended with petrol till May 8, thereby achieving 9.90 per cent blending, and it is expected that 10 per cent blending target will be achieved.