29 September,2025 05:37 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. File Pic
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday refused to be pulled into a controversy over allegations against him with regard to ethanol blending, alleging that it is work of a powerful import lobby upset by his decisions, reported news agency PTI.
Speaking at a programme in Nagpur, the minister likened himself to a "tree that bears fruit," and said, "I don't respond to such criticisms because then it becomes news. The tree that bears fruit is the one people throw stones at. It is better that we avoid it."
Gadkari said the focus of his policy is to promote ethanol blending, make farmers energy producers, and reduce pollution, PTI reported.
He claimed that the policy had directly hurt those with vested interests in fuel imports.
"About Rs 22 lakh crore were going out of the country due to imports of fossil fuels. Their businesses got affected and they got angry and started paid news against me," the Union Minister stated, adding, "I have not taken a single penny from any contractor till date and hence contractors fear me."
He also said that he would focus on his work and not get distracted by false allegations, which are common and predictable part of politics, PTI reported.
"People know what the truth is...I have gone through such things many times in the past," said the minister.
CIAN Agro Industries, a company run by Gadkari's son Nikhil, has been the centre of a controversy over dramatic rise in profits and revenues since the time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government mandated 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol.
The company witnessed its revenue surge from Rs 17.47 crore in the first quarter of financial year (FY) 24 to Rs 510.8 crore (Q1 FY26).
Profits, too, shot up from almost negligible levels to over Rs 52 crore, largely riding the ethanol blending boom and expansion into new subsidiaries.
CIAN Agro's share price also zoomed to Rs 2,023 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Monday from Rs 172 a year ago.
Analysts have said the growth is not only from ethanol sales, but also from "other income" and new businesses.
Last week, Gadkari had stated that the country should now gear up to export ethanol as India has met the target of 20 per cent blending in petrol and should sell the surplus production in the country.
"It is the time for India's futuristic development. We need to reduce our imports and increase our exports. As far as the surplus of ethanol, it is now the requirement of the country that we need to export ethanol," the minister said, while addressing the 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Bioenergy and Technologies held in New Delhi, which highlighted India's ethanol production.
The ethanol production in the country reached an annual production of approximately 1,822 crore litres by June 30. With the government's Ethanol Blended with Petrol (EBP) programme actively promoting increased production to meet its 20 per cent blending target for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26.
The production majorly relies on both molasses (sugarcane-based) and grain (maize, rice) feedstocks.
In the ongoing ESY 2024-25, an average of 19.05 per cent ethanol blending was achieved as on July 31.
The minister further highlighted Brazil's pioneering role in ethanol and stressed that India, too, is rapidly scaling up. He cited the success of corn-based ethanol, which raised farmer incomes significantly.
(With PTI inputs)
