A spokesman of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has urged the government to immediately start work on 'Ethanol Fuel Programme' to check further increase in inflation.
Commenting on the increase in prices of petroleum products, the PSMA spokesman said here on Tuesday that production cost of industrial sector was multiplying. The petroleum prices had witnessed an increase for some 45 times in last five years but no effective measures had been undertaken to find alternate fuel resources so as to avoid the adverse effects of rising fuel prices.
According to the spokesman, the countries like Brazil and US, besides the European countries and India were increasing their reliance on ethanol fuel as an alternative fuel but no significant development has so far taken place in Pakistan.
He stated that General Pervez Musharraf had made historic decision and directed the authorities concerned to work speedily on fuel grade ethanol programme. He urged the government to immediately start blending of 20 per cent of ethanol with fuel.
Later, start producing Flex fuel cars so that alternate fuel which could be 50 per cent less in price than petrol could be produced so as to give relief to the common man in the country. This fuel on the other hand, is produced with agriculture plants, which can be grown every year therefore, it does not affect the national underground reserves like oil and gas.