Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Project Faces Uncertainty After ICAR Institute Pulls Out: Report
India’s sweet sorghum ethanol project has hit a setback after the Indian Institute of Millets Research withdrew over concerns about scientific standards, trial methods, and the use of an unverified hybrid seed variety. The dispute threatens efforts to diversify ethanol feedstocks under India’s biofuel expansion plans.
A government-backed project to explore sweet sorghum as an alternative ethanol feedstock in India has hit a roadblock after a key research institute pulled out, raising concerns over scientific standards, trial methodology and the seed variety used, according to a media report.
The project was launched by the National Sugar Institute in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Millets Research under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and is being funded by state-run refiner Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The initiative was designed to assess the viability of producing ethanol from sweet sorghum, as India looks to diversify feedstocks to meet its ambitious biofuel blending targets. However, disagreements between the two research institutions over scientific validation and evaluation protocols have now cast doubt on the project’s future.
In a letter dated 24 March 2026, IIMR said it had “placed on record its strong concern regarding the ongoing trials of BPCL-NSI Sweet Sorghum Project”, alleging that its role had been marginalised despite its national mandate on millet research. The institute formally conveyed its decision to withdraw from the project with immediate effect, calling the current framework “untenable”.
IIMR objected in particular to the use of the hybrid sorghum variety “Megasweet”, developed by private seed company Advanta, which is also a stakeholder in the project. According to IIMR, the hybrid has been officially notified by the government as a forage sorghum and has “never been evaluated under the ICAR-AICRP framework” for sweet sorghum or ethanol use.
The institute also flagged deviations from recommended agronomic practices during field trials conducted in the Kharif 2025 season at sugar mills in Karnataka and Maharashtra, including non-standard seed rates, spacing and the failure to harvest grain separately. Such deviations, IIMR said, had rendered the data “scientifically unreliable and non-comparable with national benchmarks”.
The National Sugar Institute, which operates under the Ministry of Food, rejected those allegations. In a reply dated 2 April 2026, the NSI director said claims that recommended practices had been disregarded were “wrong and uncalled for”, adding that trials were conducted and monitored as per standard operating procedures by qualified personnel from NSI, Advanta, sugar industry partners and IIMR itself.
Urging IIMR to reconsider its exit, the NSI letter said the institute was an “important and valued partner” whose continued participation would contribute to the project’s successful completion.
IIMR, which functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and is the nodal body for millet research, reaffirmed its decision to withdraw in a subsequent letter dated 15 April 2026, disputing NSI’s explanations and reiterating its concerns over governance, trial design and ethics.
“In the absence of robust, independently generated multilocation data under the ICAR-AICRP system, the promotion and testing of this hybrid in sugar factory settings appears both unethical and unprofessional,” the institute wrote, adding that it could not endorse “Megasweet” for bioethanol production unless it underwent mandatory multi-location evaluation under ICAR protocols.
The dispute has now been escalated to the Agriculture and Food ministries. Senior sources linked to ICAR said that unless the project is brought fully in line with ICAR standards and procedures, IIMR would be compelled to remain outside the initiative, potentially stalling efforts to position sweet sorghum as a new ethanol feedstock.
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Source : Business World
