At the ongoing Auto Expo 2023, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Grains Council (USGC) on Friday in an effort to create ethanol awareness in India.

The MoU was signed by Vinod Aggarwal, President, SIAM, and Josh Miller, Chairman, USGC, in the presence of Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Gloria Berbena, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Counsellor, Embassy of the US, New Delhi, at the Auto Expo 2023.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is the apex industry body for the Indian automobile industry and the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is a U.S. based not-for-profit organization developing export markets for ethanol globally.

The MoU will facilitate the establishment of a framework for cooperation covering scientific, technical, and policy aspects of the production, blending, distribution, and marketing of ethanol in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly manner, USGC said in a statement.

This framework will help form national priorities, socio-economic development strategies, and goals. Under the MoU, the two organisations will work on key areas such as standards, regulations, and policy frameworks, blending and retailing, production and logistics, and automobile compatibility.

In June last year, India achieved the target of supplying 10% ethanol-blended petrol five months ahead of schedule, up from 0.67% blending in 2012. India plans to double the blend to 20% by 2025-26, for which an estimated 10.15 billion litres of ethanol will be required.

SIAM President Aggarwal said: "SIAM highly appreciates the role and vision of the Council to develop long-term partnerships with Indian stakeholders, create opportunities and add value to the US-India trade relationship. The Council has had a presence in India for over 25 years and we look forward to working with the Council on the promotion and implementation of the government's ethanol blending mandate."

USGC Chairman Josh Miller said: "We believe in collaboration and are constantly exploring opportunities to support India to achieve its next target of 20 per cent blending by 2025. India is the second-largest importer of US ethanol for industrial purposes. This MoU reflects the excellent mutual relations between the countries and our collaborative efforts and shared priorities in this space."

Image source: Economic Times