Central policies created ethanol mess: M.B. Patil

BENGALURU Political tensions between the Karnataka state administration and the federal government have reached a boiling point over severe procurement failures in the renewable energy and agricultural sectors. Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil launched a blistering critique against national authorities, accusing federal agencies of misleading sugar mills into massive overproduction before abruptly abandoning purchasing commitments. Addressing media representatives in the state capital, Patil revealed that roughly 40 percent of all ethanol manufactured across Karnataka's industrial belt currently sits unpurchased by national oil marketing companies. According to state industry data, federal procurement agencies are only absorbing between 20 to 30 percent of the total output generated by local distilleries, leaving regional producers staring at unprecedented financial losses. The minister pointed out that the current economic stalemate stems directly from previous federal policy directives. Central authorities had aggressively urged agricultural states to pivot toward green fuel blending, prompting numerous sugar factories and cooperative refineries to invest heavily in specialized ethanol-producing infrastructure. Trusting these national incentives, local producers scaled up operations, only to face sudden purchasing bottlenecks and stagnant supply chains. "The Central Government itself has created this entire mess," Patil declared, expressing deep frustration over shifting federal priorities. He emphasized that instead of acknowledging policy miscalculations or addressing mounting industry grievances, federal leadership has consistently dismissed state-level concerns. Furthermore, the industrial minister highlighted broader systemic neglect affecting the agricultural community, noting that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for vital crop derivatives has remained frozen for nearly a decade. This prolonged stagnation in baseline pricing, combined with the current procurement freeze, has placed immense financial strain on sugarcane growers and factory operators alike. In response to the escalating crisis, Patil confirmed that the state Congress administration is actively reviewing the situation at the highest levels. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and the State Food and Civil Supplies Minister are slated to hold emergency consultations to chart a comprehensive future course of action, which may include direct state interventions or formal legislative resolutions challenging federal procurement policies.