Assessing competitiveness of sweet sorghum for ethanol production: A policy analysis matrix approach

Abstract

The rising prices of fossil fuels and the concerns towards reduction in vehicular pollution have put pressure on the governments to look out for cleaner and renewable alternatives to meet the energy demand. Biofuels (bioethanol and biodiesel) have emerged as a promising alternative source of renewable energy in recent years. To promote biofuels, mandatory blending requirements of automotive fuels with bio-ethanol were introduced in India in 2003. However, the mandatory blending programme in India has not taken-off successfully due to unsustainable ethanol production, which is currently from molasses. Thus, there is a need to augment bioethanol production through promotion of alternative feedstocks to meet the blending mandates. One such alternative feedstock is sweet sorghum that has been pilot tested on farmers’ fields and its stalks are used to produce ethanol for commercial purpose (in small quantities). Using Policy Analysis Matrix framework, the study has assessed the competitiveness of cultivation of sweet sorghum as feedstock for ethanol production and has provided evidence based policy support for its promotion. The study has shown a significant potential in sweet sorghum cultivation in the rainfed agro-ecological regions of Maharashtra replacing sorghum even without any policy support