Siddhi Agro to get govt suppport

Union minister for non-conventional energy sources Vilas Muttemwar, said that the government would go all-out for retail marketing of bio-fuel once the manufacturers attain consistency in production and quality.

Talking to newsmen after launching Siddhi Bio-fuel here, Muttemwar said that various organisations and entrepreneurs have produced bio-fuel and have successfully demonstrated its use.

However, what needs to be seen is whether the fuel would be commercially viable and whether it could be used over long periods.

"We will have to see if consistent use will cause any engine damage and then examine whether it would be readily available in sufficient quantities. A number of such factors will have to be studied," he said.

Once these are established, bio-fuel will be retailed like petrol or diesel, the minister maintained.

"At present, bio-fuel is in the experimentation stage. The government has already decided on the policy of encouraging bio-fuel use. The ministry of petroleum is also studying the matter. In future, the PSU oil companies would themselves enter the field. It is just the viability and practicality aspects that we are waiting for at the moment," he pointed out.