Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today hailed the sugar industry by calling it the backbone of the country.

Attending the 3rd edition of India Sugar and Bio-Energy Conference along with Union Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, Mr Gadkari said that India’s Bioenergy sector has become a major player through its 20 per cent ethanol blending.

He underlined the need to reduce the import of fossil fuels in order to control air pollution. On the occasion, Mr Joshi highlighted that over the past eleven years country’s ethanol blending has increased from 1.5 per cent to 20 per cent.

He added that sugarcane has evolved from a traditional crop into a strategic economic and energy asset.