# India's Ethanol Curbs Pinch Sugar Mills While Prices Stay Firm

> India has sharply restricted the diversion of sugar to ethanol, while higher cane costs squeeze mill margins. Wholesale sugar prices rose over 20% in 30 days, and the government is importing 1 million tonnes of duty-free raw sugar to cool prices.

- Date: 2026-11-11 · published 2026-11-12T09:15:35.349Z
- Category: policy · region India · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/95331-india-s-ethanol-curbs-pinch-sugar-mills-while-prices-stay-firm
- Commodities: [DDGS](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DDGS.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Ethanol](https://feedsoft.ai/c/ETHANOL.md), [Wet Distillers Grains](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WDGS.md), [Distillers Corn Oil](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DCO.md)

## Why it matters

Limits on ethanol diversion cut India's ethanol output and tighten its sugar balance. Direct effects on feed commodity prices are limited, since sugar is not among the tracked feed symbols.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-01-25 | [With Strong Industry Margins, Iowa Ethanol Industry Looks for E15 While Pushing Back on EVs](https://feedsoft.ai/events/43132-with-strong-industry-margins-iowa-ethanol-industry-looks-for-e15-while-pushing.md) | +2.6% | +7.9% |
| CORN | 2022-06-30 | [EIA: Ethanol and Biomass-based Diesel Prices - Fuels Market News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15389-eia-ethanol-and-biomass-based-diesel-prices-fuels-market-news.md) | +1.0% | -16.7% |
| CORN | 2019-03-16 | [U.S. ethanol market sees first sales decline in decades](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60070-u-s-ethanol-market-sees-first-sales-decline-in-decades.md) | +2.6% | -3.5% |
| CORN | 2026-10-28 | [Indian distillers seek 9% corn ethanol price hike as feedstock costs surge \| World Ports Organization](https://feedsoft.ai/events/2890-indian-distillers-seek-9-corn-ethanol-price-hike-as-feedstock-costs-surge-world.md) | -0.5% | — |
| CORN | 2021-06-09 | [Exports, ethanol boost to sweeten sugar mill margins up to 100 bps](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46553-exports-ethanol-boost-to-sweeten-sugar-mill-margins-up-to-100-bps.md) | -1.4% | -1.4% |

## Sources

- commodity-board.com: https://commodity-board.com/india-s-ethanol-curbs-pinch-sugar-mills-while-prices-stay-firm

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