The Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameshwar Teli, on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that “All around the nation, including Haryana, ethanol-blend gasoline is available for purchase.”
The minister was replying a question raised by Member of Parliament Kartikeya Sharma about the number of petrol pumps selling biofuel in Haryana and the government’s future plans for its enhancement.
The minister went on to say that in place of or blended with diesel, gasoline, or other fossil fuels, “biofuels” are fuels made from renewable resources and used for fixed, portable, and other purposes. This comprises CBG, ethanol, and other compressed biogas.
This is available all through the country, he said, adding that three retail outlets (ROs) are currently selling compressed biogas (CBG)—a type of biofuel—in Haryana.
In a written reply in the Upper House, the minister also said that the expansion of the retail outlet network across the country is a continuous process to ensure adequate availability of transportation fuels.
Kartikeya Sharma asked about the current production of Jatropha in the country and if there is any alternatives to Jatropha for producing biofuel.
The minister responded that according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA), India can produce about 11–15 lakh tonnes of non-edible oil for industrial uses, including biodiesel manufacturing, from Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs) which also include Jatropha.
The government has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, National Food Security Mission—Oilseeds & Oil Palm (NFSM-OS&OP) from 2018–19 to augment the availability of vegetable oils and reduce the import of edible oils by increasing the production and productivity of oilseeds and expanding the area of oil palm and TBOs, including Jatropha.
The NFSM-TBOs are being implemented through State Department of Agriculture/Horticulture in eight states during 2022–23. Further, the National Policy on Biofuel 2018 encourages Gram Panchayats and Talukas to use waste land for plantations of non-edible oil seeds, including jatropha.
Jatropha is classified as “non-edible oil seed” and is a potential domestic raw material for the production of biodiesel. As per the National Policy on Biofuels 2018 and its subsequent amendment dated June 15, 2022, the potential alternatives to jatropha for producing biofuel (biodiesel) in the country are non-edible oilseeds, used Cooking Oil (UCO).
