INDUSTRY

Nitin Gadkari calls for ethanol-fuelled construction and farm equipment

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday stressed on the need to switch to alternative fuel like ethanol and said that efforts were on to introduce ethanol in construction and agriculture equipment. 

The Union road transport and highways minister said that the country imported petroleum products worth Rs 10 lakh crore to meet the requirements in the energy and power sector, and in the next five years, the demand might go up to Rs 25 lakh crore, which would affect the economy. 

Mr Gadkari was speaking at the Sugar Conference 2022, organised by Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune. 

“Alternative fuel is the future. After electric scooters, cars and buses, soon we will have electric tractors and trucks. I am going to launch these soon,” Mr Gadkari said. 

Diesel-based agriculture equipment should be made petrol based and flex engines can be converted to run on ethanol, he said, adding that efforts were on to introduce ethanol in construction equipment as well. 

Highlighting the need to shift from sugar production to ethanol, the minister said: “The rise in sugar demand across the globe is temporary. When the price of crude oil goes up to $140 per barrel, Brazil produces ethanol from sugarcane, increasing the demand for sugar from India. When the price of crude oil dips to $70 to $80 per barrel, Brazil starts producing sugar.” 

When crude oil became cheaper, sugar prices would also come down drastically, he said. 

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