Kerala has begun collecting petrol samples across the state to check whether ethanol levels in E20 fuel remain within prescribed limits, following concerns raised in Karnataka about higher-than-permitted blending and its possible effect on vehicles and mileage. The samples have been sent to laboratories, with test results awaited.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob said the Civil Supplies Commission had been authorised to collect random samples from northern and southern districts. He said the sampling was being carried out in the prescribed formats and according to established protocols, with representatives of oil companies requested to remain present during collection.
“We are collecting random samples from across the state to see if ethanol is within the prescribed limits or not,” Jacob said, according to ANI. He added that further action would be taken if laboratory results showed that the fuel did not meet the required standards.
The state-level exercise was accompanied by an inspection at fuel stations in Kochi. District Civil Supplies Officer Shaji PR said officials collected six samples, each measuring one litre, during the inspection. Two of the samples were sent to an analytical chemical laboratory in Kakinada for testing, and the department is waiting for the results.
The checks follow concerns voiced in Karnataka over petrol allegedly containing more than 20% ethanol. Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad said the state government had collected 63 samples from different locations and from all major oil companies. Karnataka’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology claimed that petrol sold at certain retail outlets contained between 26% and 31% ethanol.
Those claims have been disputed by the Union petroleum ministry. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said all 893 samples of E20 petrol collected from public-sector oil marketing companies across 27 states and Union Territories had complied with prescribed quality standards. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum also said ethanol blending was a controlled and automated process carried out under statutory guidelines rather than through manual intervention.
Jacob said consumers had the right to know the ethanol content and quality of the petrol they purchase. He said higher or lower-quality ethanol could affect vehicles and reduce mileage, while urging that the matter be treated as a consumer and fuel-quality concern rather than a political issue.
The Kerala department’s next step will depend on the laboratory findings. The state has not yet announced any result from its sampling exercise or confirmed whether petrol sold in Kerala contains ethanol above the prescribed limit.
