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Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Centre asks Punjab govt to reconsider fee levied on ethanol production
The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has written a letter to Punjab government asking it to reconsider the fee which has been levied in the state's excise policy on production of ethanol. The letter, accessed by The Indian Express, has been written by Praveen M Khanooja, Additional Secretary in the petroleum ministry to Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha on April 8. The letter states that the provision to levy Regulatory Fee (Ethanol Permit/Pass fee) in Excise Policy 2025-26 may restrict free movement of ethanol within and outside the state, which will further increase the cost of ethanol blended petrol. 'It has been brought to the Ministry's notice by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that as per the excise policy of Punjab state, there is a substantial increase in the license fee, annual renewal fee and capacity enhancement fee for Distilleries (Part D, Para 6 a & b of Punjab's Excise Policy). Also, Para 29 'Regulatory fee on ethanol' of the Policy makes a provision to levy Regulatory Fee (Ethanol Permit/Pass fee) @ Rs. 1 per Bulk Litre,' read the letter. The petroleum ministry pointed out that the Union government has been promoting ethanol blending in petrol to give boost to domestic agricultural sector and associated environment benefits. 'Over the last one decade, ethanol blending has improved from 1.5 per cent to more than 18 per cent and the country is on course to achieve the 20 per cent blending target by Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26. Punjab has made significant contributions to the success of this programme by achieving a blending percentage of 18.8 per cent in ESY 2024-25, as on March 2025,' the letter adds. It goes on to add apart from augmenting distillation capacities of existing plants, dedicated ethanol plants are being commissioned in Punjab providing employment opportunities and giving boost to circular economy. 'The increased fee in the Excise Policy 2025-26 is likely to increase the cost of ethanol blended petrol, affecting the viability of ethanol producers/suppliers and OMCs. The provision to levy Regulatory Fee (Ethanol Permit/Pass fee) in Excise Policy may restrict free movement of ethanol within and outside the state, which will increase the cost of ethanol blended petrol,' Khanooja says in the letter. The petroleum ministry official urged the Chief Secretary to review the Excise Policy and reconsider any levy/fee on fuel ethanol production/consumption/transportation in Punjab to facilitate smooth off take and free movement of green fuel ethanol for the benefit of environment and farmers. The dual benefits of ethanol blending — reducing carbon emissions and supporting the agricultural economy — have been highlighted by experts since long. By promoting maize cultivation, the initiative aims to provide farmers with an alternative crop, ensuring income stability while contributing to environmental sustainability through cleaner fuel alternatives. Ministry officials say achieving the 20 per cent ethanol blending target will reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and align with India's climate goals. 'Increased maize cultivation and ethanol production will create employment opportunities in Punjab, particularly through the establishment of dedicated ethanol plants. Encouraging maize cultivation may diversify Punjab's agricultural landscape, reducing dependence on traditional crops like wheat and paddy, which could lead to more sustainable farming practices,' the official added.
Times of Oman
08-04-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Amid Trump Tariffs, USTR highlights need to secure market access for US fuel ethanol in India, Thailand
Washington DC: With tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump beginning to kick in, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has spotlighted 10 trade practices faced by American exporters they deemed "unfair", including India's ban on US ethanol imports. The USTR listed 10 "unfair trade practices" by trading partners faced by American exporters. In a post on X, the USTR said, "India bans imports of US ethanol for fuel use. Similarly, Thailand restricts imports of fuel ethanol, requiring approval and issuance permits, and hasn't approved an import permit for fuel ethanol since 2005. Securing market access to India and Thailand for exports of US fuel ethanol would result in at least an additional USD 414 million in annual export value." According to the USTR's 2025 National Trade Estimate Report, "Despite ambitious targets for blending ethanol with gasoline, India prohibits the import of ethanol for fuel use. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) also requires an import license from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to import ethanol for non-fuel purposes. In addition, the DGFT restricts biofuel imports under HS subheadings 2207.20 and HS 2710.20 and HS heading 3826 for non-fuel use to actual users. Since May 2019, the Commerce Ministry has required an import license for biofuels under these HS headings and subheadings." On March 20, Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that the Union government is planning to increase the blending of 20 per cent ethanol in petrol from 2030. The National Policy on Biofuels - 2018, as amended in 2022, inter alia advanced the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol to Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26 from 2030. Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) achieved the target of 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol in June 2022, i.e. five months ahead of the target during ESY 2021-22. The blending of ethanol further increased to 12.06 per cent in ESY 2022-23, 14.60 per cent in ESY 2023-24 and 17.98 per cent in ESY 2024-25 upto 28th February 2025. So far, the government has not decided to increase ethanol blending beyond 20 per cent, according to a release by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas that quotes the MoS. According to the Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25, prepared by an inter-ministerial committee, using 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (E20) results in a marginal reduction in fuel efficiency for four-wheelers designed for E10 and calibrated for E20. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) informed the committee that engine hardware and tuning modifications can reduce the efficiency loss due to blended fuel. As per the MoS reply, the committee report has also highlighted that no major issues were observed in vehicle performance, wear of engine components, or engine oil deterioration with E20 fuel. In its posts, the USTR also flagged issues with China, Japan, the EU and other nations. The USTR said, "Over 100,000 Chinese-made American flags are sold every month on just one e-commerce platform alone, resulting in USD 2 million in lost sales for American manufacturers, which ultimately leads to lost job opportunities and business closures. American flags should be Made in America." "Japan maintains tariffs of up to 10.5 per cent on U.S. seafood exports and also subjects several types of fish to a complex import quota system, which makes it difficult for US exporters to enter the market reliably. These unfair trade practices cost the US seafood industry an estimated $189 million annually in lost export potential, hurting American fishers and coastal communities that depend on global market access to sustain their livelihoods," the USTR said. USTR also highlights the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: "The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) imposes costly verification measures and could reduce U.S. exporters' advantage in the EU market over high-emissions competitors, namely China. These EU regulations undermine fair competition, penalizing US companies while providing advantages to EU-based competitors. It is estimated the EU CBAM will impact USD 4.7 billion worth of annual US exports." The USTR's 2025 National Trade Estimate Report says that trade barriers or other trade-distorting practices affect US exports to foreign markets. They effectively impose costs on US exports that are not imposed on goods produced in the importing market. These unfair trade practices undermine US exporters' competitiveness and, in some cases, prevent US goods from entering the foreign market entirely. Meanwhile, on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a discussion on US tariffs on India following President Donald Trump's announcement last week about imposing a 10 per cent tariff on all imports to the US, which had caused concerns in the global market. US has imposed 26 per cent tariffs on Indian imports. The discussion was aimed at progressing towards a fair and balanced trade relationship, as stated by the US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. On Monday, Jaishankar took to social media following the call with Rubio and said that he had spoken with the US Secretary of State about the early conclusion of a bilateral trade agreement.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Crawford Co. residents impacted by stolen SNAP benefits
Residents of Meadville in Crawford County have reported funds being stolen from their SNAP benefits account. One resident said she went grocery shopping with her family last Wednesday but realized her account was hacked with not even a dollar left on the card. 'So we went to the welfare office and they said 'Oh I'm so sorry we can't do anything about it here's a new card file a police report,'' said April Sparling, a Meadville resident who had her SNAP benefits stolen. Sparling said the police informed her that ten reports had already been filed for the same incident. AAA says drivers could see gas price increase in near future 'It's not nice because people have children and elderly got screwed over and we can't do nothing about it until next month so I'm not very happy with the situation,' said Sparling. Brandon Cwalina, the spokesperson of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said the hacking is called 'skimming.' He said this is when a device is placed on top of a point-of-service card reader and your data is stolen. He said steps are being made to prevent this from happening again. Tips to avoid putting your home at risk of electrical fires 'We've already implemented a security feature where folks can't use ESY to guess pins like 1234 things, like that. We are also working with our EBT vendor to explore card lockings,' said Cwalina. Cwalina recommended that cardholders change their PIN number every month and even pull on the point-of-service reader to ensure there is no attachment for a skimmer. 'I won't eat until this is settled so my kids can have food and I won't,' said Sparling. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
