The National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, has welcomed the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing, approved by the Union Cabinet on 24th August, 2024. In an official statement, the NABI has said that the BioE3 policy will help in the large-scale manufacturing of smart proteins, which is one of the strategic sectors which the BioE3 Policy focuses on.

Smart or alternative proteins are proteins from sources other than meat, eggs, and dairy. Many international and Indian companies have already ventured into the smart protein market. Cultured smart proteins that use less than 1% of land and 5% water as compared to red meat, are disease-free and are free from health-hazardous components.

NABI says that with India’s bio-economy projected to reach $300 billion by 2030, bridging the gap between laboratory-scale productions and commercial-scale manufacturing of smart proteins could pave the way to the nation achieving nutritional security, with minimum footprints on the environment.

Executive Director, NABI, Professor Ashwini Pareek has said that NABI is going to make a big contribution to the production of smart proteins. “These new initiatives will contribute to Viksit and Samridh Bharat through the use of green technologies in a sustainable manner. NABI is all set to embrace this transformative advancement in smart agriculture and bioprocessing. With support from the Department of Biotechnology, NABI is going to contribute immensely to ensure climate-smart agriculture and to set up the technologies for smart protein production. This will contribute to the Prime Minister’s vision of India becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy.”

The nascent smart protein industry, in collaboration with institutes such as NABI, hopes to accelerate advanced research on different categories of smart proteins such as Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMA), In Vitro cultured Meat (IVM) and ‘Protein Fermentation’ (PF).  PBMA is the most popular category of alternate proteins. They are of high quality, that too with the most efficient use of resources and minimal impact on the environment.

About BioE3 Policy

The BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing’ was approved by the Union Cabinet, on 24th August, 2024. High Performance Biomanufacturing is the ability to produce products ranging from medicine to materials, address farming and food challenges, and promote manufacturing of bio-based products, through integration of advanced biotechnological processes. To address the national priorities, the BioE3 Policy would broadly focus on the following strategic and thematic sectors: smart proteins & functional foods; high value bio-based chemicals, biopolymers & enzymes; precision biotherapeutics; climate resilient agriculture; carbon capture & its utilization; marine and space research.

More about the Policy can be found here: Cabinet approves BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing

About NABI

National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is the first Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, established in India on 18th February, 2010. The institute aims at catalysing the transformation of Agri-food sector in India.  The institute has the vision to be a nodal organization for knowledge generation and translational science leading to value-added products based on Agri-Food biotech innovations. The main research focus of NABI is to harness biotechnological tools in the area of Agriculture Biotechnology, Food and Nutritional Biotechnology so as to provide sustainable and novel solutions towards quality food and nutrition.

More about NABI can be found here: https://nabi.res.in/.

Also read:Cultivated Meat: Key Opportunities and Recommendations For India

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