CM Saini Asks: Is Food Grain Used to Make Ethanol?
Synopsis
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has publicly questioned whether food grain is used to make ethanol, tagging India's E20 blending target. The query spotlights a long-running tension in India's biofuel policy, which permits surplus grain as ethanol feedstock alongside molasses to meet rising blending targets.
Key Takeaways
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini posted on X on 2 August 2026 asking whether people's food grain is used to produce ethanol, tagging #E20 .
India's National Policy on Biofuels 2018 expanded ethanol feedstock from molasses to include surplus food grains.
The central government permitted use of surplus rice stocks for ethanol starting in 2020-21 when buffer stocks were high.
India's E20 programme targets blending 20% ethanol with petrol to cut crude oil imports and support farmer incomes.
Haryana is a major wheat and rice producing state, making the feedstock question especially relevant to its farming community.
Under current policy, grain used for ethanol must be officially classified as surplus — it is not sourced from open-market food supplies.
A question that millions of petrol consumers and farmers have quietly wondered about just got asked out loud. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday posed a pointed public query on X: 'Kya ethanol banane ke liye logon ka anaaj prayog kiya jaata hai?' — 'Is people's food grain used to make ethanol?' — tagging it with the government's flagship fuel-blending target, #E20.
The question, brief as it is, lands in the middle of one of India's most consequential energy debates. India's National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 expanded permissible ethanol feedstock beyond molasses to include surplus food grains — a shift designed to give farmers an alternative market and reduce the country's dependence on crude oil imports. The central government subsequently allowed the use of surplus rice stocks held by state agencies for ethanol production in 2020-21 and in subsequent years when buffer stocks ran high.
Grain-to-Fuel: How India's Feedstock Policy Evolved
For decades, Indian ethanol came almost entirely from molasses, the residual syrup from sugar production. The 2018 policy change was a deliberate pivot. With granaries periodically overflowing — Haryana itself is one of India's top wheat and rice producing states — policymakers saw surplus grain as a feedstock opportunity rather than a storage headache. The logic: if the grain is already surplus to food needs, converting it to fuel does not deprive anyone's plate. But the distinction between 'surplus' and 'available' is precisely where public anxiety lives. When global food prices spike or domestic procurement slows, the same grain routed to distilleries can look very different to a consumer watching prices rise.The E20 Road and What It Demands
India's E20 programme — blending 20 per cent ethanol with petrol — is central to the government's twin goals of energy security and farmer income support. Meeting E20 targets at scale requires a significant and sustained ethanol supply, which molasses alone cannot guarantee. That supply gap is what drew grain into the feedstock mix in the first place. Saini's post, carrying the #E20 hashtag, signals that the feedstock question is entering the political conversation in a state where farmers are both the producers of that grain and the voters most sensitive to any perception that their food crop is being redirected for fuel. The answer to his question, as policy stands: yes, under specific conditions — but only from stocks officially designated as surplus, not from open-market food supplies. That nuance is exactly what India's ethanol debate needs more of.Point of View
Where farmers are both the source of feedstock and the most vocal constituency on food prices. By tagging #E20, he ties a grassroots concern to a central government flagship programme, creating space to either champion a clarification or distance the state from any food-security blowback. The post reflects a broader pattern of state-level leaders probing the limits of Centre-driven biofuel ambition as E20 rollout accelerates. It also signals that the 'surplus grain' framing — the policy justification for grain-based ethanol — has not fully penetrated public understanding and may need active communication.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is food grain used to make ethanol in India?
Yes, under specific conditions. India's National Policy on Biofuels 2018 allows ethanol production from surplus food grains — stocks officially designated as excess to food needs — in addition to molasses. Open-market grain meant for consumption is not supposed to be diverted.
What is the E20 ethanol blending programme?
E20 is India's target to blend 20 per cent ethanol with petrol. It aims to reduce crude oil import dependence and create an additional market for farmers' produce, particularly sugarcane and surplus grains.
Why did Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini ask about ethanol and food grain?
Saini posted the question on X on 2 August 2026 tagging #E20, likely to surface a public concern common among farmers and consumers in Haryana — a major grain-producing state — about whether food crops are being redirected to fuel production.
Which grains are used for ethanol production in India?
The central government has primarily permitted surplus rice held in government stocks to be used for ethanol, particularly since 2020-21. Maize and other grains have also been included in the permissible feedstock list under the biofuels policy.
Does using grain for ethanol affect food prices in India?
The policy restricts grain-based ethanol to officially declared surplus stocks, which theoretically insulates food supply. However, public concern persists that in years of lower surplus, diverting grain to distilleries could tighten availability and push up prices.
