August 07, 2026
In his Hindustan Times column, Vital Signs, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan looks at India’s growing push to use ethanol, a fuel made from crops, in petrol. India aims to blend 20 percent ethanol into petrol, partly to reduce its dependence on imported oil and support farmers.
The policy initially helped India’s powerful sugar industry by creating a new market for surplus sugarcane. But as the government limits the share of sugar-based ethanol, maize and rice farmers are now becoming bigger beneficiaries.
Dr. Laxminarayan points out that this comes with environmental costs. Sugarcanes use large amounts of water, while maize and rice also require land and water. Using food crops for fuel could put additional pressure on resources in a country already facing water shortages, unreliable rainfall, and rising temperatures.
He argues that policymakers should focus on the problem they are trying to solve. Electric vehicles, crop-residue-based ethanol, or direct support for farmers could offer more efficient alternatives.
Read the article here: https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/ethanol-and-the-political-power-of-crops-101786116728151.html
