Meerut, Aug 2 — BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Sunday visited several villages in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district, and interacted with farmers about the impact of the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme launched by the Centre.
Bhandari's visit included Fafunda and Chandasara villages, where he met farmers engaged in sugarcane and rice cultivation.
According to the BJP leader, the farmers said that since the ethanol blending initiative began, they are receiving timely payments for their sugarcane, which has significantly reduced their dependence on local moneylenders (sahukars). They also noted an increase in sugarcane procurement rates, giving them a renewed sense of financial security.
Further, several farmers said that the programme has opened up a new market for their crop, giving sugarcane an additional avenue for sale beyond traditional channels, Bhandari said.
On the visit outcomes, Bhandari mentioned that the ground-level feedback confirms that the ethanol blending programme is firmly in the interest of farmers -- boosting their incomes, reducing debt dependency, and strengthening their economic confidence.
Bhandari's interaction with farmers on ethanol blending comes following AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal's speech on Saturday on the E20 issue.
In a video post on his official X handle on Saturday, the BJP leader said: "Arvind Kejriwal said that ethanol-blended petrol damages a car's engine, however the truth is that it leads to improvement in the car's acceleration."
"For the last three years, over three to four crore four-wheelers and more than 20 crore two-wheelers are functioning on around 15 per cent of ethanol-blended petroleum. Still, no major case of vehicle damage has been reported so far," he claimed.
Responding to the AAP chief highlighting farmers' concerns, he said: "Kejriwal had said that farmers would bear the loss of the blending. In reality, they are the ones who are benefiting the most. Corn, rice and sugarcane farmers are the ones who will benefit the most from this."
Bhandari said this is because Corn farmers have a "40 per cent" contribution in ethanol-blended petrol.
"Corn farmers are getting Rs 2,400 per quintal rate after this blending, which means their income has nearly doubled," he asserted.
About rice cultivation, Bhandari stated: "India produces more rice than what the demand is, so the leftover rice is being used in ethanol blending, and the farmers are getting paid for it."
Moreover, the BJP spokesperson remarked that whoever is opposing the ethanol-blended petroleum is "somewhere supporting foreign powers who don't support the country's middle class and farmers".
"Sugarcane farmers are now getting their full payment of Rs 25,000 crore, that too within 15 days; this means they too are benefitting from it."