Defining the future of India’s E20 vision: Sona Machinery attends Sugar & Ethanol India Conference 2023

New Delhi: Underscoring its commitment to supporting the ambitious E20 2025 vision, Sona Machinery, one of the leading companies in agro-processing equipment manufacturing, attended the Sugar & Ethanol India Conference (SEIC) 2023.

Hosted in New Delhi on January 7 and 8, the event brought together more than 400 domestic and international stakeholders, including agri-businesses, OEMs, distillery operators, government officials, and technology consultants.

Of particular highlight were the discussions around ethanol production in India, which has emerged as a sunrise sector in the wake of the government’s dedicated push to achieve 20% ethanol blend in petroleum fuels across the country by 2025. Not only is the move expected to lower the country’s trade deficit and save INR 30,000 crore a year while reducing the environmental impact of fossil fuel, it has also provided a significant stimulus to domestic ethanol production. With many new distilleries coming up to help India achieve its ambitious biofuel targets, the event discussed the challenges, opportunities, and best practices for businesses in the sector. It also mapped various governmental policies and public/private initiatives that can supercharge the sector’s growth.

Speaking at the event, Vasu Naren, Managing Director & CEO, Sona Machinery, said, “With the government’s biofuel push, there is a unique, unparalleled opportunity on the horizon in the food/grain processing and ethanol production space. To drive business growth, stakeholders must come together and deliberate on the challenges and issues facing the industry, as well as best practices that can help them tap into this massive opportunity. Events such as the Sugar & Ethanol India Conference 2023 provide a platform for these stakeholders to come together and participate in defining the industry’s future, as well as explore synergies with other industry players and policymakers to super charge its growth.”

“The E20 policy has created a huge demand for processing equipment for sugar and grain distilleries, and OEMs such as Sona Machinery are catering to this growing demand. These tailwinds in domestic ethanol production are also adding momentum to the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, as most of the machinery being deployed is produced in India with locally sourced raw materials. More importantly, given that India is one of the largest producers of food grains in the world, there is a massive scope for agri-processing businesses to explore grain-based ethanol production as a viable alternative to molasses-derived ethanol to move India closer to the 2025 vision for biofuel,” added Mr. Naren.