# India puts food before fuel as El Niño dents ethanol ambitions

> India's lowest monsoon rainfall in over a decade has cut corn and sugarcane output, prompting New Delhi to prioritise food over ethanol. Industry insiders say the ethanol share in petrol may fall below the 20% target in the supply year that began this month, perhaps to around 15%. Corn and sugar prices have risen about 40% to record highs and rice has climbed 20%.

- Date: 2026-11-04 · published 2026-11-04T03:13:42.522Z
- Category: weather · region India · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/79081-india-puts-food-before-fuel-as-el-nino-dents-ethanol-ambitions
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Rough Rice](https://feedsoft.ai/c/RICE.md)

## Why it matters

Tighter feedstock supply for ethanol pushes up corn and rice prices in India and reduces ethanol demand for grains, while India's food inflation accelerates. Feed buyers face higher Indian grain costs and more import reliance on crude.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bullish ▲
- RICE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2017-04-21 | [El Niño awaited, more corn for ethanol](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71341-el-nino-awaited-more-corn-for-ethanol.md) | +1.4% | +2.7% |
| CORN | 2024-06-17 | [As El Niño Wanes, Food Security Pain Remains](https://feedsoft.ai/events/29663-as-el-nino-wanes-food-security-pain-remains.md) | -4.3% | -9.0% |
| CORN | 2023-12-18 | [El Niño Fuels Crop Issues In Brazil](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13605-el-nino-fuels-crop-issues-in-brazil.md) | -1.5% | -3.8% |
| CORN | 2026-10-04 | [2026-2027 El Niño food security impacts](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17050-2026-2027-el-nino-food-security-impacts.md) | -3.5% | -6.9% |
| CORN | 2024-04-24 | [NASA SVS \| El Niño Forecast to Contribute to Food Insecurity](https://feedsoft.ai/events/30653-nasa-svs-el-nino-forecast-to-contribute-to-food-insecurity.md) | -0.5% | +3.3% |
| RICE | 2024-06-17 | [As El Niño Wanes, Food Security Pain Remains](https://feedsoft.ai/events/29663-as-el-nino-wanes-food-security-pain-remains.md) | +1.8% | -20.8% |
| RICE | 2026-06-02 | [India cuts foodgrains output target amid below normal monsoon forecast - The HinduBusinessLine](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18741-india-cuts-foodgrains-output-target-amid-below-normal-monsoon-forecast-the.md) | -0.2% | +2.6% |
| RICE | 2023-07-07 | [Malaysia forecasts peak of El Niño to hit in early 2024](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34966-malaysia-forecasts-peak-of-el-nino-to-hit-in-early-2024.md) | +1.4% | -13.7% |

## Sources

- sa.marketscreener.com: https://sa.marketscreener.com/news/india-puts-food-before-fuel-as-el-ni-o-dents-ethanol-ambitions-ce785fdede8df326

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.