Bangladesh, Sri Lanka interested to import ethanol from India

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have expressed their interest to import ethanol that is manufactured in India, intending to blend this product with gasoline and diesel, Indian Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.

Speaking at an event recently, he made the remark emphasising that the ethanol economy has the potential to help Indian farmers tap international markets, reports The Hindu BusinessLine.

"I got the chance to meet the Bangladesh Prime Minister. We sell petrol and diesel to Bangladesh via pipeline from Numaligarh. We also talked about ethanol. During the discussions, Sri Lanka's Minister and Bangladesh Prime Minister asked me whether we can export ethanol to these countries," Gadkari said.

Praising the efforts of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in the field of biofuels, the Minister noted that such accomplishments will contribute to the growth of the ethanol industry within the nation.

He said, "Praising the efforts of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in the field of biofuels, the Minister noted that such accomplishments will contribute to the growth of the ethanol industry within the nation."

Gadkari suggested to Oil Minister HS Puri and IOC Chairman SM Vaidya, who were present at the launch event of the world's first BS-VI (Stage II) electrified flex-fuel vehicle prototype from Toyota Kirloskar Motor, to mix ethanol with petrol and diesel and sell it to Bangladesh via pipelines from Numaligarh.

"This will provide better prices for the commodities, reduce pollution in Bangladesh and create an international market for Indian firms for ethanol," he pointed out.