NEW DELHI, 29 January 2023: The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers and the U.S. Grains Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding today for support for higher ethanol blending in India at the Auto Expo 2023.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is the apex industry body for the Indian automobile industry and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is a US based not-for-profit organization developing export markets for ethanol globally. SIAM and USGC  will work to create ethanol awareness, increase production capacity and efficiency and advocate for ethanol’s wide adoption.

The MOU was signed by Vinod Aggarwal, President, SIAM, and Josh Miller, Chairman, USGC. The MOU was signed in the presence of Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ms. Gloria Berbena, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Counsellor, Embassy of the United States, New Delhi at Auto Expo 2023. 

SIAM President, Aggarwal said, “SIAM highly appreciates the role and vision of the Council to develop long-term partnerships with Indian stakeholders, create opportunities and add value to the U.S.-India trade relationship. The Council has had a presence in India for over  25 years and we look forward to working with the Council on the promotion and implementation of the government’s ethanol blending mandate.”

Ethanol is a renewable and clean fuel which benefits the environment, health, and economy. In June 2022, India achieved the target of supplying 10 percent ethanol-blended petrol, five months ahead of schedule, up from 0.67 percent blending in 2012. The country aims to double the blend to 20 percent by 2025-26, for which it will need an estimated 2.68 billion gallons or 10.15 billion litres of ethanol.

USGC Chairman Josh Miller said, “We congratulate the Indian Government for achieving the significant milestone of 10 percent ethanol blending ahead of schedule. We believe in collaboration and are constantly exploring opportunities to support India to achieve its next target of 20 percent blending by 2025. India is the second-largest importer of U.S. ethanol for industrial purposes. This MOU reflects the excellent mutual relations between the countries and our collaborative efforts and shared priorities in this space.”

The Council has undertaken various initiatives and conducted a series of master classes advocating for enhanced consumer education to clear misconceptions around ethanol-blended fuel. This MOU with SIAM is another such initiative.

Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena, United States Embassy, New Delhi remarked, “The United States believes in the power of the market to drive overall quality improvement, make the automobile and energy industries more stable over time. Our inputs facilitate market efficiencies and opportunities around the world. Through this MOU between SIAM and the U.S. Grains Council, I believe that biofuels will remain a critical tool for a stronger, more sustainable future for the United States, India, and the world.”

The purpose of the MOU is to establish a framework of cooperation covering scientific, technical, and policy aspects of the production, blending, distribution and marketing of ethanol in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. This framework will not only help form national priorities, but also socio-economic development strategies and goals. 

Under this MOU, the organizations will work on key areas such as standards, regulations, and policy frameworks, blending and retailing, production and logistics as well as automobile compatibility.