The government has extended the deadline for the scheme which provides financial aid to molasses-based distilleries for enhancing ethanol production, by six months till April 21, 2023.

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The decision has been taken to improve production and supply of ethanol under the Centre`s Ethanol Blended with Petrol (EBP) programme.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution had earlier asked all distilleries to enhance ethanol production to make the programme successful.

Through the EBP, government aims to reduce pollution and increase value addition in the domestic sugar industry.

It has scaled up blending targets from 5 per cent to 10 per cent under it.

Sugar mills in Maharashtra are expected to start sugarcane crushing with full capacity around November 10, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Generally the crushing season starts in mid-October. The crushing, the first stage in the sugar production, was delayed this year as the prolonged monsoon has delayed cane harvest, the official told PTI.

So far, 73 sugar mills have obtained necessary permissions for the crushing season and a total of 203 mills are expected to undertake crushing this year against 200 last year, the official said. 

The estimated sugarcane production in the state may reach 1,343 lakh tons against 1,321 lakh tons in 2021-22 season. The sugar production may rise up to 138 lakh tons against 137 lakh tons last year, the official said.