Possibilities of Bioethanol Production from Millet Crops

As per official reports from India Ethanol procurement/blending under EBP programme increased from 38 Cr. litres in 2013-14 to 433.6 Cr. liters in 2021-22. Also, “Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25" laid out an annual plan to increase domestic ethanol production in line with goal of the amended National Policy on Biofuels (2018) as well as with its Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme to reach a blending of 20% of ethanol in petrol (E20) by 2025/26. So, there is indeed a need of finding different ways of ethanol production. 2023 is celebrated as International Millet Year by implicating different GOI, policies to promote millets. Moreover, after COVID-19 humanity is in search of gluten-free diet. So, in this context, millets a group of single seed plants particularly belonging to the Poaceae or Gramineae family emerged as the best nutritious crops and bio-ethanol producers. Different studies specified that millets can be effectively utilized for ethanol production with limited supply of input in water scarcity areas. Studies in the last decade reveal that a few types of millet such as Sorghum (Sweet Sorghum, Grain Sorghum, and Fodder Sorghum), Pearl millet, Finger millet, Proso millet, Foxtail millet, Barnyard millet and Little millet and husk of millets have good potential to become a component crop for high ethanol production. In the present study ethanol production capacity from different millet are reviewed. It can be concluded that there is a need of more research and development in all millet groups along with capacity building for development of processing distilleries. This will ensure sustainability in farmers income as and nutritional security.