India aims to lead next industrial revolution with biomanufacturing policy: DBT

New Delhi: India is positioning itself at the forefront of the next industrial revolution with its new biomanufacturing policy designed to tackle food, energy and climate challenges, officials said on Sunday. Approved by the Union Cabinet on Saturday, the BioE3 policy for fostering high-performance biomanufacturing aims to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in different fields. High-performance biomanufacturing involves the production of products ranging from medicine to materials, tackling farming and food challenges, and promoting the manufacturing of bio-based products through the integration of advanced biotechnological processes.

Laying the foundation of the BioE3 policy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Interim Budget had announced “a new scheme of bio-manufacturing and bio-foundry” to provide environment-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable polymers, bio-plastics, biopharmaceuticals and bio agri inputs. “India aims to lead the next industrial revolution. Unlike the semiconductor industry, which arrived in India 15-20 years later, we must seize this opportunity now. Biomanufacturing will help existing industries meet growing demands for food and fuel while also creating new job opportunities,” Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, said during a media briefing.

"The world has experienced several industrial revolutions -- driven by steam power, electricity, oil, and information and communication technology. Countries that embraced new technologies advanced more quickly. "The next revolution will be driven by the industrialisation of biological sources and processes. Therefore, the BioE3 policy aligns 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 like biotextiles and bioplastics. Enzymes and microbial strains are essential for this process. Novazyme is a leading global producer of enzymes, he said.

In India, research is underway at facilities like the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Delhi and the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute in Mohali, he said. Gokhale said India imports about three-fourths 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. Achieving this will require advanced technology and scaling up 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 the population growing, increasing the number of cattle is not sustainable due to land and water constraints, rising feed costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and antibiotic resistance, he said. Bio-manufacturing could help meet dairy needs through non-dairy milk alternatives and ensure resource sustainability, he said. Scientists present at the briefing mentioned that an Indian steel company is also working on integrating algal farms with its facilities to capture carbon dioxide directly from exhaust gases.