Sugar industry has survived due to use of ethanol: Gadkari

PTI pune

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the sugar industry has survived due to the advent of ethanol, and asserted there is a need for new technologies in farming. Speaking at an event of Naam Foundation in Pune, Gadkari attributed cultivator suicides in Maharashtra's Vidarbha and Marathawada regions to the scarcity of water for farming.  The Minister hailed the work of Naam Foundation, led by actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure, in the field of water conservation and the welfare of the children of farmers who had committed suicide. 

"Water was the main cause behind the suicides of farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. If water was available in abundance, the farmers would not have to take the extreme step," said Gadkari. He said there is a need to bring in technology in the farming sector and experiments regarding the same have already been undertaken. "We import fossil fuel worth Rs lakh 22 crore due to ethanol. Today, the sugarcane cultivators and sugar mill operators have survived just because of the advent of ethanol," he said.