What It Is
Grain-based ethanol is fuel alcohol made from maize, FCI rice and other grains, blended with petrol under India's ethanol blending programme. It has created a large new market for maize.
How It Is Made
Grain is milled, cooked and converted to sugars by enzymes, fermented with yeast, and distilled to fuel-grade ethanol. The leftover distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are sold as protein-rich animal feed.
Uses and Buyers
Ethanol is sold to oil marketing companies under tenders. DDGS is bought by poultry, cattle and fish feed makers.
Quality and Standards
Fuel ethanol must meet BIS standards for purity and water content.
Trade and Exports
New grain distilleries have come up in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and elsewhere, and their maize buying has lifted farm prices and occasionally led to maize imports.
Where the Raw Material Comes From
Processors buy maize from the main growing states below. Plants are usually built close to these belts, or close to ports for imported raw material, to keep freight low and quality fresh. Tap a state for its districts, markets, season and buyers.
| State | Main districts |
|---|---|
| Karnataka | Davangere, Haveri, Ballari, Chitradurga, Belagavi, Chikkaballapur |
| Madhya Pradesh | Chhindwara, Seoni, Jhabua, Dhar, Khargone, Betul |
| Maharashtra | Jalgaon, Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Nashik, Ahmednagar, Buldhana |
| Bihar | Purnea, Katihar, Khagaria, Samastipur, Begusarai, Madhepura |
| Telangana | Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Siddipet, Jagtial |
| Rajasthan | Bhilwara, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Dungarpur |
| Andhra Pradesh | Guntur, Krishna, Kurnool, Vizianagaram |
| Tamil Nadu | Perambalur, Salem, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Virudhunagar |
| Uttar Pradesh | Bahraich, Bulandshahr, Etah, Kannauj, Hardoi |
| Gujarat | Panchmahal, Dahod, Sabarkantha, Aravalli |
| Punjab | Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana |
| West Bengal | Malda, Murshidabad, Dakshin Dinajpur, Cooch Behar |
Makers, Processors and Bodies
- Praj Industries LtdPune · ethanol plant technologyAboutExplore
- Gulshan Polyols LtdGrain-based ethanolAboutExplore
- Globus Spirits LtdGrain-based distilleriesAboutExplore
Related: Maize · All products · All crops
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