Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that India has become the World’s third largest Producer and Consumer of Ethanol. While inaugurating the two-day India Sugar and Bio-Energy conference in New Delhi, the Minister emphasized that the government is committed to a robust, sustainable sugar industry that is not only an economic pillar but also a driving force in India’s renewable energy landscape. Speaking on Sugar Production in the country, the minister said that in the last decade sugarcane cultivation increased by about 18 percent while the sugarcane production has increased by 40 percent. He added that through Minimum Support Price, the dues of farmers has become a thing of the past and stressed on the vital role of the farmers in the country’s renewable energy landscape from being the Anna Dattas to becoming Urja Dattas. Mr. Joshi added that the government has launched national green hydrogen mission last year with an outlay of 19 thousand 744 crore rupees to make India a global hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen.