Lucknow: In view of the possible shortage of fossil fuels in future, ethanol production from rice, maize, wheat etc. is being promoted in many countries including India. Till 2023, ethanol in India was mainly produced from rice and maize.
But considering rice as a staple food, its high water requirement in production and greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields, the Government of India had banned ethanol production from rice. However, recently this ban has been lifted as the government has huge stock of rice.
Dr. M R Garg, ex Head (Animal Nutrition) NDDB reiterated that distillers grains and soluble distillers substances are co-products during ethanol production. These together are called wet distillers grains (WDGS).
He said – In India, WDGS and dry distillers grains (DDGS) made from maize and rice are mainly fed to dairy animals. Sometimes, in order to reduce costs, spoiled grains are used, which leads to WDGS and DDGS containing toxic substances such as aflatoxin and high amounts of sulphur.
Underscoring the gravity of the problem, Dr. Garg said, “ If this spoiled WDGS is fed to animals, it can cause diarrhea, stomach problems, abortion, respiratory problems, and sometimes even death of animals.”
The WDGS sold in trolleys at 5- 6 Rs. Per KG shouldn’t be fed to their cattle since it’s very very harmful. It’s a request to the farmers to be very careful of this WDGS so that they can protect their cattle.
