Representative image. Photo: Bloomberg
India is positioning itself at the forefront of the next industrial revolution with its new biomanufacturing policy designed to address food, energy and climate challenges, officials said Sunday.
Approved by the Union Cabinet on Saturday, the BioE3 policy to encourage high-throughput biomanufacturing aims to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in different fields.
High-throughput biomanufacturing involves the production of products ranging from medicines to materials, addressing agricultural and food challenges and promoting the manufacturing of bio-based products by integrating advanced biotechnological processes.
Laying the foundation for the BioE3 policy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Interim Budget a new bio-manufacturing and bio-foundry scheme to provide environment-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable polymers, bioplastics, biopharmaceuticals and bio-based agro-inputs.
India aspires to lead the next industrial revolution. Unlike the semiconductor industry, which came to India 15-20 years later, we need to seize this opportunity now. Biomanufacturing will help existing industries meet the growing demands for food and fuel, while creating new employment opportunities, Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, said during a press conference.
“The world has experienced several industrial revolutions, driven by steam power, electricity, petroleum, and information and communications technology. Countries that adopted new technologies advanced more quickly.
“The next revolution will be driven by industrialisation of biological sources and processes. Therefore, the BioE3 policy is in line with India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047,” Gokhale said.
The DBT secretary said biomanufacturing offers solutions to climate change, resource depletion, waste generation and pollution through innovations such as biotextiles and bioplastics.
Enzymes and microbial strains are essential for this process. Novazyme is a world-leading producer of enzymes, he said.
In India, research is being conducted at facilities such as the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Delhi and the National Institute of Agri-Food Biotechnology in Mohali, he said.
Gokhale said India imports about three-quarters of its crude oil and the goal is to replace some of this oil with products made from biomass, plastic waste and carbon dioxide over the next 20 years. This will require advanced technology and increased production.
“The BioE3 policy is designed to streamline these processes,” he said.
Citing an example, Gokhale said India is the largest producer of milk, but each person gets only 459 grams per day.
With population growth, increasing livestock numbers is not sustainable due to land and water constraints, rising feed costs, greenhouse gas emissions and antibiotic resistance, he said.
Biomanufacturing could help meet dairy product needs through non-dairy milk alternatives and ensure resource sustainability, he said.
Scientists at the briefing said an Indian steel company is also working on integrating algae farms with its facilities to capture carbon dioxide directly from exhaust gases.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 25, 2024 | 20:14 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.