Shimla: The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) will develop new potato varieties for bioethanol production, following a recommendation by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. The institute’s scientists have already achieved success in producing ethanol from potatoes, a move aimed at reducing environmental pollution and decreasing dependency on foreign fuels.
Currently, most of the ethanol produced in the country comes from sugarcane, which is primarily grown for sugar production. Given the rising demand for ethanol, CPRI has conducted trials to produce ethanol from potatoes. Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Head of the CPRI’s Crop Physiology, Biochemistry, and Post-Harvest Technology Department, along with his colleague Dr. Dharmendra Kumar, has identified potato varieties suitable for bioethanol production and successfully produced bioethanol. The institute will now focus on developing new potato varieties for this purpose. Until these new varieties are available, ethanol will be produced from substandard potatoes.
Approximately 15 percent of the country’s potato production is lost due to various factors such as disease, damage during harvesting, and low market demand. This surplus and damaged potato can be used for ethanol production. India aims to achieve a 30 percent ethanol blend in fuel by 2030, with a target of 20 percent by 2025, up from just 1.5 percent a decade ago.
As per media report, Dr. Brajesh Singh, Director of CPRI, confirmed that the trials for ethanol production from potatoes have been successful, with up to 15 percent of damaged potato crop being utilized. The institute will now develop supporting potato varieties for this purpose.
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