October 16, 2026: India's cumulative ethanol receipts reached 9.87 billion litres by the end of September in the current supply year, with grain-based feedstocks accounting for more than 71 per cent of the total, the All India Distillers' Association (AIDA) said on Thursday.

Receipts by oil marketing companies stood at 9.87 billion litres in Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26 (November-October), against a total contracted allocation of 11.97 billion litres, or 82.5 per cent fulfilment, AIDA said in a statement.

Grain-based feedstocks supplied 7.05 billion litres, or 71.4 per cent of receipts, against an allocation of 9.08 billion litres, a fulfilment rate of 77.6 per cent.

Maize was the largest single contributor at 4.13 billion litres, or over 41 per cent of total receipts, against an allocation of 6.14 billion litres.

Surplus rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) supplied 2.22 billion litres against an allocation of 2.33 billion litres, while damaged food grains supplied 700 million litres, above their 600 million-litre allocation.

Sugar-based feedstocks supplied 2.82 billion litres against an allocation of 2.89 billion litres, a fulfilment rate of 97.6 per cent.

Sugarcane juice accounted for 1.51 billion litres against an allocation of 1.66 billion litres. B-heavy molasses supplied 1.15 billion litres against 1.11 billion litres allocated, and C-heavy molasses supplied 160 million litres against 120 million litres allocated.

"Building a robust, multi-feedstock supply network is vital for long-term energy security," AIDA Deputy General Bharati Balaji said.

She said policy continuity and wider avenues for ethanol use, such as flex-fuel vehicles, sustainable aviation fuel and compressed biogas, would be essential to sustain investment and support agricultural value chains.

(Source: PTI)