KIEV, April 20 - Ukraine seeks to approve legislation that would make it mandatory to add 5% of bio-ethanol to gasoline from 2014 and will increase this share to 7% from 2016, the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry reported.

The legislation, drafted by the ministry, seeks to mimic the experience of Brazil, which has been successfully adding ethanol to gasoline to fuel the country’s cars to reduce the use of crude oil.

“This will allow us to reduce imports of crude oil, and on the other hand to boost agriculture production,” Yuriy Boyko, the energy and coal industry minister, said.