Centre issues stern clarification, rejects misleading reports on ethanol imports
No concession or commitment on import of ethanol for fuel blending: Centre
No import of ethanol from US for fuel blending: Government
New Delhi, August 06: The Central Government issued a clarification on Thursday stating that no concession or commitment has been given for import of ethanol from the US for fuel blending. These information are baseless and factually incorrect.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in a statement, said that recent media reports that India is importing large quantities of ethanol from the US for fuel blending and plans to import more in the future. The government has clarified that the country’s fuel blending program and ethanol procurement will continue to be governed entirely by domestic policy requirements.
The ministry stated that, as per domestic policy, the ethanol used for fuel blending in the Petrol Ethanol Blending Program is sourced entirely from domestic producers. No ethanol is imported from the United States for fuel blending.
Furthermore, the Commerce and Industry Ministry stated that there is no mention of any waiver or commitment on import of ethanol from the United States for fuel blending in the India-US trade discussions. Therefore, the suggestion of a policy change to allow large-scale import of fuel ethanol from the United States is misleading. India’s fuel blending program and ethanol procurement are entirely determined by India’s domestic policies.
