<p>New Delhi: The food ministry has issued a fresh order reversing ban on the use of sugarcane juice for making ethanol and allowed utilisation of the juice as well as B-heavy molasses to produce the green fuel in the 2023-24 supply year.</p>.<p> The revised order comes days after the Centre on December 7 banned use of sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for the 2023-24 supply year (November-October) in an order to ensure adequate sugar supply in the domestic market and check prices.</p>.<p>In a directive issued to all sugar mills and distilleries, the ministry said the oil marketing companies (OMCs) will issue a 'revised allocation' of "sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses-based ethanol" for the 2023-24 supply year to 'each distillery'.</p>.<p>OMCs have been asked to inform the food ministry after placement of revised contracts.</p>.<p> After receiving the revised allocation, sugar mills and distilleries have been asked to supply ethanol strictly as per the revised quantity of cane juice and B-heavy molasses.</p>.Ethanol blending to dip by 20% on restrictions in sugarcane juice use.<p> "No diversion of sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses is allowed for production of rectified spirit and extra neutral alcohol," the directive said.</p>.<p> All molasses-based distilleries will endeavour to make ethanol from C-heavy molasses, it added.</p>.<p> A decision in this regard, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said, was taken in the meeting of a committee of ministers held on Friday.</p>.<p>He said the government has decided to give flexibility to use both cane juice and B heavy molasses within a overall cap on diversion of sugar of up to 17 lakh tonnes in the current 2023-24 supply year.</p>.<p> Already 6 lakh tonnes of sugar has been diverted for making ethanol from cane juice before the ban, another food ministry official had said.</p>.<p>The government has estimated sugar production to decline to 32.3-33 million tonnes in the 2023-24 season (October-September) as against 37.3 million tonnes in the previous season. </p>
<p>New Delhi: The food ministry has issued a fresh order reversing ban on the use of sugarcane juice for making ethanol and allowed utilisation of the juice as well as B-heavy molasses to produce the green fuel in the 2023-24 supply year.</p>.<p> The revised order comes days after the Centre on December 7 banned use of sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for the 2023-24 supply year (November-October) in an order to ensure adequate sugar supply in the domestic market and check prices.</p>.<p>In a directive issued to all sugar mills and distilleries, the ministry said the oil marketing companies (OMCs) will issue a 'revised allocation' of "sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses-based ethanol" for the 2023-24 supply year to 'each distillery'.</p>.<p>OMCs have been asked to inform the food ministry after placement of revised contracts.</p>.<p> After receiving the revised allocation, sugar mills and distilleries have been asked to supply ethanol strictly as per the revised quantity of cane juice and B-heavy molasses.</p>.Ethanol blending to dip by 20% on restrictions in sugarcane juice use.<p> "No diversion of sugarcane juice and B heavy molasses is allowed for production of rectified spirit and extra neutral alcohol," the directive said.</p>.<p> All molasses-based distilleries will endeavour to make ethanol from C-heavy molasses, it added.</p>.<p> A decision in this regard, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said, was taken in the meeting of a committee of ministers held on Friday.</p>.<p>He said the government has decided to give flexibility to use both cane juice and B heavy molasses within a overall cap on diversion of sugar of up to 17 lakh tonnes in the current 2023-24 supply year.</p>.<p> Already 6 lakh tonnes of sugar has been diverted for making ethanol from cane juice before the ban, another food ministry official had said.</p>.<p>The government has estimated sugar production to decline to 32.3-33 million tonnes in the 2023-24 season (October-September) as against 37.3 million tonnes in the previous season. </p>