# India ethanol blending may fall to 15%, hitting food buyers

> India will likely cut its ethanol blend in petrol to about 15% this supply year from 20%, after the government barred ethanol made from sugarcane juice, syrup and B-heavy molasses and cut the maize ethanol price. Drought has pushed Indian corn, sugar and rice prices up sharply, and October edible oil imports reached a two-year high.

- Date: 2026-11-04 · published 2026-11-04T09:05:15.145Z
- Category: policy · region India · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/79433-india-ethanol-blending-may-fall-to-15-hitting-food-buyers
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Sorghum](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SORGHUM.md), [Rough Rice](https://feedsoft.ai/c/RICE.md), [Palm Oil](https://feedsoft.ai/c/PALMOIL.md)

## Why it matters

Less ethanol demand for maize and sugar, combined with a shift toward food use, tightens Indian feedstock availability and supports corn, sugar and rice prices, while higher edible oil imports lift vegetable oil demand.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bullish ▲
- RICE: bullish ▲
- PALMOIL: bullish ▲
- SORGHUM: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-06-26 | [India’s oilseed output may fall as farmers shift to maize for ethanol - The Economic Times](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24316-india-s-oilseed-output-may-fall-as-farmers-shift-to-maize-for-ethanol-the.md) | +4.6% | -1.5% |
| CORN | 2025-08-12 | [Proposed ethanol-blending targets signal strong future for sorghum farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23393-proposed-ethanol-blending-targets-signal-strong-future-for-sorghum-farmers.md) | +0.0% | +4.3% |
| CORN | 2019-11-06 | [Indiana grower touts ethanol at EPA hearing - Morning Ag Clips](https://feedsoft.ai/events/55930-indiana-grower-touts-ethanol-at-epa-hearing-morning-ag-clips.md) | -0.7% | -0.9% |
| CORN | 2024-09-04 | [Ethanol push turns India into corn importer, shaking up global market](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28323-ethanol-push-turns-india-into-corn-importer-shaking-up-global-market.md) | -1.4% | +4.9% |
| CORN | 2020-10-13 | [Ethanol Recovers to a 'New Normal'](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50652-ethanol-recovers-to-a-new-normal.md) | +2.6% | +4.2% |
| RICE | 2022-08-27 | [Govt may curb export of rice to  maintain ‘food security’ \| India News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39984-govt-may-curb-export-of-rice-to-maintain-food-security-india-news.md) | +0.4% | +0.2% |
| RICE | 2023-11-04 | [India to extend free food grains programme by five years, says Modi \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33137-india-to-extend-free-food-grains-programme-by-five-years-says-modi-reuters.md) | +4.2% | +4.2% |
| RICE | 2020-03-26 | [Inside India's historic effort to distribute food and fight hunger during Covid-19](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54084-inside-india-s-historic-effort-to-distribute-food-and-fight-hunger-during-covid.md) | +3.2% | +22.4% |

## Sources

- news.procupy.com: https://news.procupy.com/markets/india-may-blend-less-ethanol-as-drought-lifts-sugar-corn-and-rice-prices

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