In sometime, tropical beet will also be an interesting supplementary resource for sugarcane-based ethanol: Samir Somaiya
Samir Somaiya, CMD of Godavari Biorefineries Limited, captivated the audience at the 64th ISO Council Meeting with his keynote on ‘Sustainability through Diversification’ in the sugar industry. He outlined strategies for achieving the green transition, emphasizing ethanol blending advancements. Somaiya highlighted Godavari’s innovative approach to integrate grain production alongside sugarcane in bolt-in mills, anticipating future expansion into crops like sweet sorghum and tropical sugar beet. India hosts the global event in New Delhi from June 25-27, 2024, focusing on critical sugar and biofuel sector issues with international participation.
Samir Somaiya, CMD, Godavari Biorefineries Limited, took center stage as the keynote speaker of the session on ‘Sustainability through Diversification’ sharing strategies and innovative approaches for the sugar industry at 64th ISO Council Meeting. He addressed the issues in the fossil economy and innovative approaches to reverse climate change aiming to achieve the green transition.
Speaking on ethanol blending, he said, “Five or six years ago when we were probably doing in the range of 2 percent, to articulate the 20 percent blend, I think the world thought it was crazy and certainly not possible. It was reported a month ago 15 percent blend, I think the world is surprised and we are delighted to be part of this journey. To achieve the 20 percent ethanol blending target, Govt articulated that half of this would come from sugarcane and half from grain.
Emphasizing on diversification- feedstock and production, Godavari’s CMD stated, “What many mills are doing at least now in sugarcane sector, we are creating bolt-in mills, which means we will also do grain in same mills as we are doing cane. There are various options we can choose in terms of freedom to operate. I think as we go forward there will be other crops that we can work on. I think there also be going to work done on sweet sorghum. My own company is also working on tropical sugar beet. I think there is one factory in Punjab working very well on tropical beet. But I also think in sometime tropical sugar beet will also be an interesting supplementary resource for sugarcane-based ethanol. Renewables can meet our all needs of petrol.”
India is hosting a global event in sugar sector ‘ISO Council Meeting’ in New Delhi from 25th till 27th June, 2024. Delegates from more than 30 countries and representatives of many international organisations have joined to deliberate on critical issues of sugar and biofuel sector.
