Mathura: A sugar mill in Chhata, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, which has remained closed for nearly 19 years, is set to be converted into an ethanol production facility following approval from the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet. The project, approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will have an annual ethanol production capacity of 3.96 crore litres (39.6 million litres). The facility will use multiple feedstocks, including sugarcane, maize and paddy, as part of a plan to maintain production for most of the year.
Uttar Pradesh Cane Development and Sugar Mills Minister Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan said the plant will initially produce ethanol from sugarcane when cane is available. Once the sugarcane supply season ends, the facility will switch to maize and paddy as feedstocks. The plant is planned to operate for around 11 months a year, with total annual production targeted at 3.96 crore litres. The project is expected to require an investment of more than ₹200 crore. 
The proposed ethanol facility will be developed on the existing premises, with around 96 acres of land available for the project. Plans also include the development of warehouses and other infrastructure. The minister highlighted the location of Chhata on the National Highway and its proximity to the Noida Airport cargo terminal, saying the connectivity could provide additional opportunities for the project. The facility is also expected to generate direct and indirect employment in the region.
The state government has indicated that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to lay the foundation stone for the ethanol plant later this year. According to the minister, around 45–50 lakh quintals of sugarcane would be required annually to operate a conventional sugar mill at the site. The proposed multi-feedstock ethanol model is therefore intended to utilise locally available sugarcane while shifting to alternative agricultural feedstocks after the cane season.
The government also said that three sugarcane procurement centres have been operating in the area for the past two years to support farmers. The minister attributed the closure of the Chhata sugar mill to prolonged non-payment of farmers under the previous state government and alleged that farmers did not receive payments for several years. These political allegations were made by the minister and have not been independently established in the information provided. The proposed ethanol project is expected to bring new industrial activity to the long-closed mill premises while creating an additional market for agricultural feedstocks in the region.
