Corn must become India’s new crude

For India to become Atma Nirbhar and achieve its ambition of a $5 trillion economy, the solution to one of its biggest vulnerabilities - dependence on imported petroleum and LNG -is already in front of us. By adopting a focused five-year plan, India can drastically reduce its chronic energy import dependency and accelerate toward energy self-reliance, food security, and decarbonization.

- DRJP GUPTA

India’s annual petroleum import bill stands at Rs 24 lakh crore and is growing at an alarming pace. By 2030, imports of petroleum, LNG, and petrochemical feedstocks are projected to rise steeply, burdening the economy and undermining national security. Nearly 85 per cent of India’s petroleum demand is met through imports, a figure that will only climb with GDP growth if corrective action is not taken.

Petroleum-fuelled vehicles alone contribute nearly 40 per cent of India’s environmental pollution, especially in cities like Delhi, which already ranks among the most polluted globally. Unless India shifts gears, the dual crisis of import dependency and pollution will derail its growth story.

The solution is a corn revolution. India must emulate the Brazilian model, which successfully transitioned to ethanol-based fuels. Brazil has mandated flex-fuel vehicles that run on 100 per cent hydrous ethanol (92 per cent ethanol + 8 per cent water), reducing pollution and petroleum dependence for over 30 years.

India’s demand is clear:

@ 35 million tons/year of gasoline

@ Growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel (RD), and ethylene for petrochemicals

This can be fully met by producing 70 million tons of ethanol annually, requiring about 200 million tons of corn.