The Food Corporation of India sold rice to ethanol distilleries at about 40% below its average acquisition cost between June 2025 and June 2026, the Union government told Parliament on Tuesday. The rice was sold at a price of Rs 2,250 per quintal to Rs 2,320 per quintal. Between November 2026 and June 2027, rice will be sold to ethanol distilleries for Rs 2,390 per quintal, it added. The public sector organisation dispatched 6.3 million tonnes of rice worth Rs 14,596 crore to ethanol producers during the 12-month period. India’s ethanol production has risen amid the Union government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol programme.