Ethanol Surplus Sparks Export Consideration & Sugar Production Boost

During a session at the Parliament Sectoral Oversight Committee on Increasing Export of Goods & Services, officials disclosed a surplus of ethanol, a by-product of sugar factories, prompting discussions on export strategies adhering to quality standards.

Highlighting the current benefit to sugar factories stemming from the ethanol import ban, officials proposed issuing alcohol production licenses to these factories, leveraging the surplus for alcohol production.

With the country’s sugar demand at 600,000 metric tons, and only 10% or 60,000 metric tons produced domestically, the committee urged officials to draft a plan for augmenting sugar production by 2024 within three months.

Addressing public awareness about sugar consumption, officials were tasked with devising an educational program due to the nation’s low knowledge levels.

While acknowledging foreign demand for Sri Lankan alcohol, including palmyra arrack, officials underscored the market’s limited growth due to standards-related shortcomings. Consequently, they stressed the importance of aligning export measures for alcohol products with international standards to expand market reach.