Indian sugar industry pushing for relaxation of ethanol production pathways

In India, the sugar industry is calling on the government to allow it to use surplus sugar and juice to produce ethanol, not just b-heavy molasses. It says 500,000 metric tons of sugar could be diverted into ethanol production if the policy shift was approved. India’s sugar season is winding up and is likely to produce more than 32 million tons this year while global sugar prices are at 2.50-year lows. The government is mulling a cut to the Goods and Services Tax for ethanol to boost its consumption and helps suffering mills.