New Delhi : Due to the increase in demand for ethanol as vehicle fuel in India, farmers here are expected to earn bumper income. With this, Indian farmers will transform from being food providers to energy providers or even power providers. In fact, on Tuesday, Japanese car manufacturer Toyota Motors launched the world’s first car running on 100 percent ethanol, Innova Highcross flex-fuel MPV in India. It was inaugurated by Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Innova Highcross flex-fuel MPV to run on 20% ethanol blending
On this occasion, Nitin Gadkari said that the increasing demand for ethanol for blending with petrol and diesel will transform India’s agricultural economy, making farmers ‘energy givers’. They introduced the world’s first India stage-6 (stage-two) electric flex fuel-based Innova Highcross MPV. This vehicle can also run on fuel with more than 20 percent ethanol blend.
Ethanol industry will prove to be a boon for farmers
The Minister of Road Transport and Highways said that the contribution of agriculture and allied sector to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is only 12 per cent as compared to higher contribution of manufacturing and service sector, while 65 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture. He said that the ethanol industry is a boon for the farmers. The demand for ethanol will increase in the country, it will change the nature of India’s agricultural economy. He said that our farmers will not only be food givers but will also become energy givers.
The share of agriculture sector in GDP will increase
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has expressed confidence that with the demand for ethanol, the share of agriculture in GDP will also increase. He said that I am very happy that the day the ethanol economy reaches Rs 2 lakh crore, the agricultural growth rate which is 12 percent will increase to 20 percent. He said that successful tests of alternative fuels have been conducted in generator sets, vehicles, aircraft etc.
India will supply ethanol mixed petrol to Bangladesh
Along with this, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also said that neighboring country Bangladesh has requested India to supply ethanol mixed petrol. He said that I thank the management of Toyota Kirloskar for developing such technology, which will help in reducing pollution in the country and creating employment opportunities in the agriculture sector. I request to make more models on flex engine. I want motorcycles, e-rickshaws, auto rickshaws, cars will be 100 percent ethanol.
How is ethanol made?
Ethanol is a type of alcohol, which is prepared from sugarcane juice. The process of making ethanol from sugarcane begins when the sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract the sugarcane juice. When the sugarcane stalks are passed through an extractor or expeller, the sugarcane juice is collected and delivered to a fermentation tank, where a yeast fermentation reaction occurs to produce ethanol. Ethanol benefits both agriculture and the environment. Ethanol, a by-product left over from sugar production, is a good alternative to petrol. It is used as a substitute of fuel and it is also cheap in terms of cost. It can be produced domestically from crops and does not need to be imported like crude oil. A certain percentage of ethanol can be mixed with petrol. Once ethanol is produced, it can be made biofuel by mixing it with gasoline i.e. petrol-diesel. Which is known as E10 (containing 10 percent ethanol) or E85 (containing 85 percent ethanol). Vehicles equipped with flex fuel technology can run on E85.
What is flex fuel technology?
Flex-fuel is being seen as an alternative to petrol-diesel. This is the reason why it is also called alternative fuel. It is prepared from a mixture of petrol and ethanol. It is also called alcohol-based fuel because ethanol is used in it, which is prepared from crops like sugarcane, maize. Flex Fuel Technology, also known as Flexible Fuel Technology or FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) technology. It refers to the ability of an automobile engine to run on a mixture of gasoline and various ethanol. Flex fuel vehicles are designed to run with various ethanol-gasoline blends.
How farmers will get benefit from ethanol production
Farmers also benefit from the increasing use of ethanol. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that retail sale of petrol containing 20 per cent ethanol has started at 84 petrol pumps in 15 cities. A predetermined target of 20 percent blending of ethanol in petrol was set for 2030. Ethanol production also creates significant market demand for agricultural crops that can be used as feedstock, such as corn, sugarcane and other biomass. This increased demand can lead to higher prices and market stability for farmers growing these crops, providing farmers with an additional market for their produce and increased income.