The government’s ethanol blending programme has helped timely payment of cane arrears to farmers and made the sugar industry financially viable, a food ministry official said on Friday.He said that blending 20% of ethanol with petrol, has helped the country save foreign exchange worth Rs 1.9 lakh crore as the country is importing less oils. “Currently sugarcane arrears (paid to farmers) have reached a lowest level. While during 2014-2021, `14,600 crore was allocated to mills as sugar exports subsidy, but after 2021, no subsidy has been provided because of diversion of surplus sugar into ethanol manufacturing,” Ashwini Srivastava, joint secretary, department of food and public distribution, said at the Grain Ethanol Manufacturers Association (GEMA) conclave 2026.