Maharashtra seeks permission to use sugar as ethanol feedstock in wake of drought

In India, the Economic Times newspaper reports that with the drought’s negative impact on sugarcane and therefore molasses availability for ethanol production, the state’s sugar industry is seeking permission to use sugar as feedstock for ethanol. The state, country and global market are drowning in excess sugar supplies, weighing on producers that in turn weighs on farmers. The Indian government has been pushing for increased ethanol production while creating measures to prop up farmers with higher cane prices and millers with soft financing to help pay those higher cane prices.