PTI New Delhi

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the government needs to support farmers, who do not receive fair prices for their produce, as they are determined by global factors. Addressing the '2nd Edition of India Bio-energy & Tech Expo', he said the sugar price is determined by Brazil, the oil price by Malaysia, the corn price by the US, and the soybean price is influenced by Argentina. 

"We are facing problems of poverty and unemployment in rural and tribal India because farmers are not getting good prices in the global economy," the minister said.  Gadkari said that 65 per cent of India's population is engaged in agricultural activities, but their contribution to the country's GDP is only 14 per cent.

‘India should gear up for ethanol exports’

After meeting the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in Petrol, the time has arrived when India should gear up for exporting ethanol given its surplus production in the country,  Gadkari, said on Wednesday.

"It is the time for India's futuristic development. We need to reduce our imports and increase our exports. As far as the surplus of ethanol, it is now the requirement of the country that we need to export ethanol," he said while addressing the 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Bioenergy and Technologies held in New Delhi. India's ethanol production capacity reached an annual production of approximately 1,822 crore liters by June 30, 2025, with the government's EBP Program actively promoting increased production to meet its 20 per cent blending target for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26.