MYSURU: The State Sugarcane Growers’ Association has asked the government to allow farmers to make ethanol at local jaggery-making units, saying they should also benefit from the higher earnings from ethanol production as sugar prices continue to rise, The Hindu reported.
Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar said sugar mills were making “substantial profits” from ethanol, while sugarcane farmers were still struggling to get a fair return for their crop.
“The benefits of ethanol production should not be restricted to large sugar factories. The government should formulate simple rules and a policy enabling farmers to produce ethanol at their own local jaggery-making units,” Shanthakumar said in a statement on Sunday.
He said farmers should be allowed to use the ethanol made at these units as an environment-friendly cooking fuel and for their own vehicles and tractors. They should also be allowed to sell excess ethanol to the government at a fixed price, with the government buying the surplus, he said.
According to Shanthakumar, the proposal would help farmers cut their fuel expenses and improve their income.
He also sought immediate steps to support sugarcane growers in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where a shortage of rainfall and drought-like conditions have affected cane production. Crop losses and higher farming costs have added to the difficulties faced by farmers, he said.
Referring to Brazil’s sugar and ethanol system, Shanthakumar said more surplus sugarcane should be used to make ethanol instead of sugar when cane production is high. This would support the fuel sector and help prevent sugar prices from falling sharply, he said.
However, during droughts or periods of poor rainfall, ethanol production should be controlled and more sugarcane should be used to produce sugar for domestic consumers, he said.
Shanthakumar said advance planning by the government could help prevent a shortage of sugar and protect consumers from higher prices.
He called for a scientific increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price for farmers affected by drought and said growers should receive a fair share of the profits earned by sugar mills from by-products.
He also sought the right for farmers to produce and use ethanol independently at local jaggery-making units, saying this would allow them to benefit directly from ethanol production.
