The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, speaking at an event in Rajasthan on Tuesday, urged to cultivate sugar beet again in Sri Ganganagar, not for sugar production but to focus on ethanol. He stated that if the ethanol production initiative takes off, beet producers will receive a good price for their produce.
He emphasized how farmers are benefiting from ethanol production, citing an example: “The price of corn last year was Rs 1,200 per quintal. However, after the permission to produce ethanol from corn, its price increased to Rs 2,400 per quintal for the first time.”
The Union Minister also highlighted the benefits of incentivizing ethanol production, stating that it has the potential to significantly boost farmers’ incomes.
“Replace petrol in your state and encourage all major companies to switch to ethanol. This will enable farmers in Rajasthan to produce ethanol from maize, sorghum, millet, or even spoiled grains. When cars, scooters, and auto-rickshaws run on ethanol, it will naturally lead to the prosperity and well-being of farmers in the region,” he said.
He said that changes in the cost of fuel and road can bring the logistics cost to nine per cent.
Speaking at three day Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit 2024 in Jaipur, the Union Minister stated that savings made by reducing the fuel and road cost will significantly help the state to strengthen its export capabilities.
“If there is a change in your fuel and road prices, we have decided to reduce India’s logistics by 9 per cent within 2 years. If this 9 per cent can be achieved in your place (Rajasthan) then the gap of 7 per cent between 16 per cent to 9 per cent will make Rajasthan competitive in export,” the Union Minister stated in Hindi.
Highlighting the need to work on four pillars in order to achieve the target Atmanirbhar Bharat and 3rd largest economy, Gadkari stated that the country needs to work on water, power, transport and communication.
“For any nation to develop, four key requirements are essential. Water, power, transport, and communication – if these four infrastructures are developed, capital investment will flow in, leading to growth in industry, trade, and business. This growth will increase employment potential and raise per capita income. As employment opportunities and income rise, poverty will be alleviated. If we aim to make India a Vishwaguru (world leader), it is imperative to make our states economically capable and powerful. This is a necessity for our country’s progress, ” Gadkari said in his address.
