India must embrace biotech

The critical technology is no longer just a background contributor to progress, but is poised to be a driver of economic growth

Human society now stands at a pivotal moment in its short evolutionary journey.

We face two stark choices: either dial back the production and comforts of modern life, or find new, cleaner ways of sustaining the same standard of living while preserving our home for our future generations. Framed this way, the rational choice is to innovate technologies that allow us to maintain prosperity without destroying the planet.

Yet economic and market forces, which often find economic downturns more catastrophic than an environmental collapse, are unlikely to support such technologies until disaster is upon us.

It is therefore the responsibility of governments, as guardians of society’s long-term interests, to champion cleaner technologies, even when they might seem to be the costlier option.

Among critical technologies, biotechnology, often underappreciated in public policy, requires the greatest degree of state stewardship to realise its transformative potential.

It is important to shake off the notion that biotechnology is limited to pharmaceuticals and vaccines. At its core, biotechnology is the set of tools that allow us to understand and manipulate living organisms for desired purposes.

The applications are as varied as they are profound: microbes engineered to make better yoghurt or degrade plastic waste; crops bred to yield more food or capture more carbon; insects designed to resist pathogens or spin finer silk; and even humans whose genetic vulnerabilities can be corrected.

Such interventions give humanity unprecedented power, ranging from the capacity to wipe out species or revive extinct ones, to reshaping the very definition of what it means to be human. Coupled with artificial intelligence and robotics, biotechnology opens the door to futures where debates on rights and inclusion could extend to human–machine hybrids.

Whatever be the future, biotechnology is already shaping our daily lives. The rice fortified with vitamins, the cotton that resists bollworms, the drops that protect a child from polio are all products of biotechnology.

Biotech does not arrive with flashy gadgets; it slips into the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.

Petrochemicals, the backbone of modern industry, are themselves products of biology. Their replacements, be it biofuels or bioplastics, will also emerge from biology. So, too, will new carbon sinks, created through genetically modified plants and microorganisms, to repair the damage already caused to the atmosphere.

Biotechnology’s importance extends even to the military, not in the form of bioweapons or fantastical super soldiers, but through practical support functions. It can enable local production of fuel to power tanks, the development of food that remains nutritious and easy to prepare at extreme Himalayan altitudes and the use of wearables and biosensors that provide soldiers with real-time health and environmental data from the field.

In the past few decades, biotechnology has graduated from an altruistic tool for social welfare to a technology crucial for our survival. But it offers the potential to do much more, becoming a driver for the economy and not just a silent contributor.

Reports suggest that over 60% of industrial products could be made using biotechnology, though technical difficulties need to be resolved. The global bioeconomy is already worth more than $4 trillion, with projections indicating substantial growth to $30 trillion by 2050, creating thousands of jobs in R&D, manufacturing and logistics.

However, making this shift to a bio-based economy will require imagination, strategy and the rethinking of even the most basic products—soaps, cement, fuels—through a biological lens.

This responsibility cannot be left to chance. Biotechnology needs careful stewardship from leaders who understand both the risks of tinkering with nature and the opportunities it offers.

India, with its rich biodiversity, strong research institutions and a pluralistic value system is uniquely placed to lead this transformation. Few nations have both the capability and the canvas that India does. The question is no longer whether biotechnology will define the future. The real question is whether India will lead that future, or be forced to follow.

Recent policy initiatives such as BioE3 and BioRIDE are encouraging signals, but they remain insufficient. To truly harness the potential of biotechnology, the government must embed it across sectors, with the Department of Biotechnology serving as the central coordinating body.

Today, the final products of biotechnology fall under the purview of multiple ministries—health, agriculture, petroleum—and without harmonisation of intent, the broader shift to a bio-based economy will remain fragmented.

In tandem with biotechnology, policy also has to graduate from promoting R&D and biomanufacturing to creating markets, both domestic and international.

Such market creation will attract capital, accelerate innovation and ensure sustained growth of the sector. Delay in governance is not without consequence; it risks India forfeiting intellectual property, market share and geopolitical advantage to more agile competitors.

Biotechnology is no longer just a background contributor to progress, it is poised to be a driver of economic growth, a foundation for national resilience and possibly the most important tool for reconciling prosperity with sustainability. India has both the capability and the moral imperative to lead.

The only question is whether it will continue to treat biotechnology as one-of-many technologies or recognise it as the unique force it is.

(The author is Chair, Advanced Biology Programme, Takshashila Institution)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.