According to the 31st March 2026 report on ethanol blending in the country, the ethanol supply in the ongoing Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26 has reached about 417 crore litres, achieving about 39% of the contracted volumes of 1058 cr litres.
Among feedstocks, maize-based ethanol accounted for about 159 crore litres, achieving around 33% supply against contracted volumes of about 479 crore litres.
Meanwhile, surplus food grains (SFG) contributed about 89 crore litres (38%) of ethanol, and damaged food grains (DFG) supplied about 21 crore litres (39%) of ethanol.
Overall, grain-based ethanol contributed about 269 crore litres, meeting 35% of its contracted target of 766 crore litres.
On the sugar-based side, sugarcane juice (SCJ) recorded a significantly higher performance, supplying about 112 crore litres, achieving 68% of its contracted volumes.
B-heavy molasses (BHM) and C-heavy molasses (CHM) contributed about 31 crore litres (27%) and 5 crore litres (36%) of ethanol, respectively.
Month-wise supply trends show a steady ramp-up through the season, with ethanol supplies rising from about 36 crore litres in November 2025 to peak monthly dispatches of around 102 crore litres in January 2026, followed by stable supplies of nearly 89 crore litres each in February and March.
The sugar and biofuel Associations have requested the Government to frame policies on faster adoption of ethanol cookstoves, which will ensure a higher uptick of ethanol, and also check LPG import dependence in light of higher geopolitical conflicts.
