The two-day conference, exhibition and awards platform comes at a turning point for the sector. India achieved 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol five years ahead of the original 2030 target, up from 1.5 per cent in 2014. Ethanol production capacity has also grown roughly tenfold, to nearly 20 billion litres. With fuel standards for blends up to E30 notified in May 2026, the industry’s attention has moved to flex-fuel vehicles, grain and second-generation (2G) ethanol, compressed biogas (CBG) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The inaugural ceremony will be held at 11.30 am on September 28 under the patronage of Shri Haribhau Bagde, Governor of Rajasthan; Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development; Shri Eknath Shinde and Smt. Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra; Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; Shri Dattatray Bharne, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister for Agriculture; Shri Ashish Jaiswal, Maharashtra Minister of State for Agriculture; and Shri Ishwarsinh Patel, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Water Resources and Water Supply, Government of Gujarat.
Shri Pasha Patel, Chairman of the State Agriculture Price Commission (with Cabinet Minister status) and Executive Chairman of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on Environment and Sustainability (Government of Maharashtra), is also the Chairman of Phoenix Foundation, Latur. He and Shri Praveen Singh Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, are associated with the forum.
Agenda highlights
Day 1 (September 28)
• India’s Ethanol Economy (Post-E20 Growth)
• Inaugural Session on India’s Energy Transition
• Feedstock Revolution (sugar, grain, maize, rice and 2G)
• Flex-Fuel Vehicles, Oil Marketing Company (OMC) Demand and Blending Economics
• CEO Roundtable on Investing in Ethanol Infrastructure
• Bharat Ethanol Leadership Awards Gala Dinner
Day 2 (September 29)
• Global Ethanol Markets and Trade
• Beyond Ethanol (SAF, biomethanol and CBG)
• Closing Session on the India Ethanol Vision 2030 Declaration
A central theme of the forum is the emerging surplus. India now produces more ethanol than its current vehicle fleet can absorb, with over 45 per cent of supply coming from grain. Sessions and the co-located one-day Trade and Tech Expo will address how new capacity, flex-fuel adoption, 2G ethanol, CBG and SAF can help absorb this surplus, estimated at roughly 30 per cent.
The expo will bring together sugar mills, grain ethanol producers, oil marketing companies, project developers, investors and policymakers with suppliers from across the value chain. These include distillery equipment and technology providers, biorefinery engineering firms, fermentation, enzyme and yeast suppliers, and companies working in automation, storage and logistics, water and zero liquid discharge (ZLD), engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), boilers and power, feedstock handling, carbon reduction and SAF.
The Bharat Ethanol Leadership Awards 2026 will be presented across ten categories, namely Ethanol Producer of the Year, Grain Ethanol Leader, Sugar Ethanol Pioneer, 2G Innovation, Technology Provider, Ethanol Investment, Sustainability in Biofuels, Emerging Company, Global Ethanol Leader and Lifetime Contribution.
The strategic partner for the forum is Waseda Global. Support comes from industry associations, including the All India Distillers’ Association (AIDA), the Grain Ethanol Manufacturers Association (GEMA) and others.
About Phoenix Foundation Sanstha
Phoenix Foundation is a non-governmental organisation based in Latur district, Maharashtra. Founded in 2008 under the chairmanship of Shri Pasha Patel, it works with farmers, rural youth and drought-affected families across Marathwada.
Issued by Phoenix Foundation Sanstha, Latur
For media queries, yasinmulani@gmail.com
Forum details, www.bharatethanolforum.com
