{
  "id": 2374902,
  "title": "Centre says rise in sugar prices cannot be attributed to ethanol",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/centre-says-rise-in-sugar-prices-cannot-be-attributed-to-ethanol",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-21T12:21:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/centre-says-rise-in-sugar-prices-cannot-be-attributed-to-ethanol-101787314833581.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Centre has refuted claims that ethanol production is responsible for the recent surge in sugar prices in India. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs stated that the share of sugar diverted for ethanol production has decreased from 12% in 2022-23 to 9% in 2025-26. They also noted that nearly three-quarters of the country's ethanol is now produced from grains, particularly maize. The price increase is attributed to factors such as lower-than-expected domestic sugar production, increased demand ahead of the festive season, weather damage to sugarcane crops, global sugar supply tightening, and speculation and hoarding within the industry.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}