India, July 29 -- The debate around India's biofuel blending push has mostly focused on the alleged harmful effects of the fuel being sold on cars. This is perhaps the easiest of the controversies to solve, provided the government lays down clear cut guidelines for fuel retailers and car producers. India is not the only country where biofuel is blended with fossil fuels.

The larger and more difficult questions around the biofuel industry are rooted in the political economy of maintaining a balance between food and fuel needs of the country. An HT report from the ongoing Parliament proceedings offers a glimpse into this larger tension.

The government, while answering a question in the Rajya Sabha said that the Food Corporation of India (...