The Government has said that maize availability in the country is adequate to meet the requirements of ethanol production, poultry feed and other uses, informing Parliament that 125.75 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of maize were used for ethanol production during the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024–25.
The information was provided by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on December 17, 2025.
According to the reply, maize-based distilleries were allocated 477.8 crore litres of ethanol in ESY 2024–25, which required the utilisation of 125.75 LMT of maize.
The Minister said that as per the final estimates for the 2024–25 crop year, maize production has risen significantly to around 434 LMT. She noted that this quantity is sufficient to meet demand from ethanol production, the poultry sector and other uses. To ensure feed availability, the poultry feed industry is also increasingly using alternative domestically available inputs such as rice bran, broken rice, bajra and wheat offal.
She reiterated that food security remains the Government’s top priority. The Department of Food and Public Distribution regularly monitors foodgrain availability and maintains buffer stocks of wheat and rice. Surplus rice held by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is diverted for ethanol production only after buffer stock norms are met and requirements under the Targeted Public Distribution System and other welfare schemes are fulfilled.
The reply noted that maize has emerged as the largest feedstock for ethanol production, and that sufficient quantities remain available even after its use for ethanol blending.
The Government also stated that 125.78 LMT of maize is expected to be utilised for ethanol production during ESY 2025–26, underscoring maize’s expanding role in India’s ethanol blending programme.
In addition, the Government is conducting a feasibility study on sweet sorghum as an alternative feedstock to diversify the raw material base for ethanol production.
