Pilibhit: Emergence of maize as India’s single-largest ethanol feedstock is expected to evolve new dimensions for farmers in UP to diversify “massively toward this crop which requires low water to grow compared with other crops”.
A latest report of All India Distillers’ Association (AIDA), released on Monday, has revealed that maize-based ethanol touched the highest levels of production to the tune of 182 crore litres (clt) during a period of six months between Nov 2025 and April 2026.
This is much higher compared to ethanol from other feedstocks such as surplus food grain (SFG) at 26 clt and damaged food grain (DFG) at 125 clt. This has considerably surpassed sugarcane-based ethanol production. The report shows that sugarcane juice (SCJ) based ethanol contributed 130 clt, B-heavy molasses accounted for 45 clt while C-heavy molasses was confined to a production of merely 7 clt during the same period.
According to joint director of agriculture, AK Singh, UP has secured its place among the five major maize-producing states in the country — after Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan — cultivating around 8 lakh ha area for maize to produce 28 to 30 lakh metric tonnes annually.
Considering the high demand for maize in the ethanol industry, UP govt has set new targets to increase the cultivated area and productivity of maize in the state. “With the application of integrated nutrient management of seed, soil improver, integrated bio management and advanced cultivation techniques combined with sophisticated farm machinery, the govt has targeted to increase the maize cultivated area to 11.3 lakh ha in 2026-27,” Singh added.
“The sharp rise in maize-based ethanol production in the country is being viewed as a major turning point for the sector. Maize offers long-term scalability, year-round availability and supply chain advantages. It requires substantially less water than other feedstocks and has stronger compatibility with India’s future higher-blending ambitions beyond E20,” said Vijendra Singh, president of AIDA.
Keshav Agarwal has been with The Times of India since June 1, 201...
Read MoreKeshav Agarwal has been with The Times of India since June 1, 2014, currently posted in Pilibhit. He specializes in reporting on forest and wildlife, environment, water resources, agriculture, and the sugar and ethanol industries. He also covers a broad range of other topics, including health and medicine, education, development, and crime.
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