Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Aug: Uttarakhand BJP state media in‑charge Manveer Singh Chauhan has strongly criticised Congress for attempting to link the recent rise in sugar prices to ethanol production and has described this as a misleading propaganda. He said the central government has already clarified that diverting sugar for ethanol is not responsible for the price increase, yet Congress continues to stage protests on the issue.
Chauhan pointed out that the share of sugar diverted for ethanol has actually declined from about 12 per cent in 2022‑23 to around 9 per cent in 2025‑26, while nearly three‑fourths of ethanol production now comes from grain, particularly maize. He argued that Congress’s claim that ethanol policy has made sugar expensive is contrary to facts. He explained that the recent rise in sugar prices is due to several factors including lower domestic output, higher demand ahead of the festive season, adverse weather and crop diseases, reduced global supply and hoarding in some regions. International prices too have risen from 474 dollars per tonne on 30 June to 552 dollars per tonne on 20 August.
He added that if ethanol policy would have been the cause of the crisis, the farmers would not have received 97 per cent of their cane dues by 20 August in the current season. The diversion of surplus sugar to ethanol has strengthened the financial position of mills and helped in timely payments to farmers. Chauhan emphasised that the government has taken concrete steps to control inflation, including imposing a 400‑tonne stock limit on dealers from 1 August to 30 November, restricting bulk consumers from holding more than 15 days’ stock from 1 September, conducting physical verification of mill stocks and permitting duty‑free import of 10 lakh tonnes of raw sugar.
The BJP leader asserted that Congress should stop misleading the public with slogans and false claims, and instead acknowledge that the ethanol programme has supported energy security and stabilised the sugar industry. He claimed that the people are aware of Congress’s tactics and will give a fitting reply to its politics of confusion.
