India's Biofuel Ecosystem Matures with Balanced Ethanol Feedstocks

As of June, India's cumulative ethanol supplies have reached 717 crore liters against contracted volumes of 1,048 crore liters for the current Ethanol Supply Year (November 2025-October 2026). Maize-based biofuel leads this supply at 36%, followed by FCI-rice at 25% and sugarcane juice at 20%, according to the All India Distillers' Association (AIDA).

Grain-based feedstocks continue to dominate ethanol production, with distilleries supplying 67% of the total ethanol, amounting to 480 crore liters. Sugarcane-based feedstocks contributed 238 crore liters, representing 33% of the total supply. This balanced contribution has significantly strengthened supply resilience and reduced dependence on any single agricultural crop.

The supply data indicates that sugar-based units have fulfilled over 82% of their contractual obligation, while grain-based units have supplied 63% of their commitment. Maize remains the largest feedstock contributor with 258 crore liters supplied, demonstrating an increasingly diversified feedstock ecosystem.

Vijendra Singh, President of AIDA, stated that the evolving feedstock mix strengthens India's energy security. He emphasized the need for continued policy support for higher ethanol blends and next-generation biofuels to fully utilize the industry's production capacity as the country moves beyond the E20 milestone.