ISMA presents roadmap for new sugar mills to Minister Pralhad Joshi

NEW DELHI, 25 July 2024: The Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), the apex body in the sugar and bio-energy industry in the country, presented a detailed roadmap to the key stakeholders of the Ministry of Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs including Minister Pralhad Joshi himself for the policy framework required to transition Indian sugar mills into Bio-refineries of the nation producing along with the existing portfolio of Bio-Ethanol, Bio-Electricity and Bio-Gas b other emerging energy streams of strategic importance like Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Green Hydrogen, E-100 and 2-G Ethanol delivering cross cutting benefits to the nation and its farmers on multiple levels including meeting the international blending targets in the aviation sector which will be applicable on India since 2027 as per the CORSIA mandates.

Developing on the Government's vision of Net Zero and Atmanirbhar Bharat, a successful execution of this initiative would also create an alternate market for millions of Indian farmers employed in the sugarcane value chain across India and has already demonstrated its ability with the success of the current Ethanol Blending Program to increase farmer incomes exponentially by helping them become Urjaa Daatas of the nation along with being our Anna Daatas. 

Deepak Ballani, Director General of the Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), said, " This day when the Minister of Food drove a car running 100% on Ethanol that is made in India by our sugarcane farmers, we know that the future of India lies in Bio. ISMA as the largest consortium of Biofuels producers in the country presented our vision for Indian sugar mills to Minister Pralhad Joshi and discussed a roadmap for making the 55 million Indian sugarcane farmers who are already driving our cars to also now fly our planes in the future- saving the nation from depending on external imports as well as delivering on India's ambitious climate targets.  Our partnership with the government is a big step towards achieving this goal, focusing on cutting edge bio-refinery technologies that will set new benchmarks for growth and strengthen India's energy resilience. We see a future where local resources drive national development, which is exactly what the government has envisioned for Atma Nirbhar Bharat. We look forward to working closely with Minister Pralhad Joshi and his team to swiftly implement these initiatives for the benefit of our nation."

Minister Pralhad Joshi commended ISMA's proactive approach and leadership of the sector and emphasized the importance of using local resources for providing clean energy security to the rural belts of India helping the nation transition justly and responsibly. 

He also took a test drive in Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid to see the performance of vehicles running completely on Bio-Ethanol (E-100) and expressed the urgency for defossilizing the transport sector given the state of rising temperatures while also taking care of those who are most affected by climate change that is the Indian farmer. 

400 E-100 pumps were also launched by the government last year and the Minister emphasized the need to propagate the use cases of E-100 while acknowledging the potential of these Ethanol Pumps as a game changing opportunity for India, especially in context of our global leadership of the Global Biofuels Alliance.

The delegation promised to work closely with the Government to quickly build these new, high-tech sugar mills. This collaboration is expected to set new benchmarks in bio-refinery technology, fostering economic growth and reinforcing India's energy resilience.