India to produce Ethanol from rice and maize / myLot

India

September 14, 2025 9:31pm CST

In order to be self sufficient India is toying with the idea of producing Ethanol from rice and maize They are planning to do that from surplus production of rice and maize But I have doubts if that is true In their enthusiasm I feel they will not think about consumers of rice and maize leading to sky rocketing of the price of both rice and maize in the not so distant future While the poor may get free rations what about the middle class? Is this fair?

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5 responses

rsa101

@rsa101 (40987)

• Philippines

16 Sep

You raised a very valid concern. On paper, using “surplus” rice and maize for ethanol sounds good, but in reality, it often doesn’t stay that way. Once demand rises for ethanol, the line between surplus and essential stock can blur quickly. That could drive prices up, and like you said, the poor may still get rations but the middle class will definitely feel the pinch. I think India should be careful not to sacrifice food security for fuel security. Exploring other sources like sugarcane byproducts, crop residues, or even alternative renewable energy might be a safer path than relying on staple foods.

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@allknowing (153529)

• India

16 Sep

If they were sensitive to the consumers of food they would have surely resorted to alternatives mentioned by you

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rsa101

@rsa101 (40987)

• Philippines

16 Sep

@allknowing Perhaps they were thinking that there’s surplus existing might just use it for the purpose to balance the demand and supply. But of course if that becomes in demand then the chain of supply would be disrupted and price would eventually be affected. Maybe someone in the supply chain wants to stir the market to make profit from this.

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@allknowing (153529)

• India

16 Sep

@rsa101 Government is after money and not after the welfare of its citizens

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