This document summarizes the first meeting of the CII National Committee on Biotechnology for 2014-15. It discusses focusing on agriculture, waste management solutions, green chemistry through biotechnology, and biotechnology parks. It provides an overview of a past conference on agribiotechnology that covered topics like climate change and agriculture. It outlines challenges facing Indian agriculture like depleting soil organic matter. It discusses how biotechnology can provide versatile solutions across hybrids, soil health, GM seeds, biopesticides, biofertilizers, and more. The document also summarizes potential applications of biotechnology in waste management, urban farming, and green chemistry. It provides examples of industrial biotechnology applications and concludes with discussing biotechnology parks.

1. First Meeting of CII National Committee on
Biotechnology : 2014-15
Ashwin Shroff
6th June 2014
New Delhi

2. Preamble
 Last year we focused on biotechnology in
agriculture (covering GM crop issues, as also other
versatile applications)
 This year, I suggest we look at
1. Agriculture (In context of Food security, inflation,
stagnant productivity, climate change…)
2. Waste Management solutions
3. Green chemistry through Biotechnology
4. Biotech Parks ….?

3. Conference Bangaluru
December 2013
A Recap

5. Various Sessions and Speakers
Session I: Past, Present & Future of AgriBiotechnology
Session II: Agriculture – Problems and Solutions through
biotechnology
Session III: Climate Change and Agriculture-Role of Biotechnology
Session IV: Emerging and Future Technologies in Agri
Biotechnology Sector
Session-V: Regulatory & Policy Issues
Session-VI: Communicating Crop Biotechnology, Public Awareness
and Education
Speakers
Mr. Ashwin Shroff Mr Rajesh Panchanathan Dr Jagat Singh
Dr. A.G Shankar Dr. Alok Adholeya Dr Sharan Angadi
Dr. N Barathi Dr. A.R.V Kumar Dr Kirit Shelat
Dr. M.A. Shankar Dr. Deepak Pental Dr. K K Narayanan
Dr. Ramanjini Gowda Dr. Pranjal Yadava Dr. Jitendra Kumar
Dr S R Rao Mr. Ashok John Koshy Dr Devraj Arya
Dr Shyamsunder Singh M Prof. C. Kameshwar Rao Dr. Arvind Kapur

6.  Depleting Soil Organic Matter
(Soil Health & Productivity)
 Food Quality Issues – Nutritional, Residues
– Qty. vs. Quality
Emerging Multi-Nutrient Deficiencies of
Secondary & Micronutrients
 Water – Groundwater Availability, Quality,
Energy to pump out
 Energy – On Farm, Transportation, Cold Storage, …
 Stagnation / Slow Growth in Agricultural Productivity
 Climate Change & uncertainty of Weather
 Very High Subsidy Burden – Foreign Currency Dependant
Challenges Facing Indian
Agriculture

7. Next Green Revolution
Will need to be Green
Revolution
What should we do to make it Sustainable !!
Both Economical as well as Environmental
Helpful & Profitable to Farmers across whole India
Acceptable & Affordable to Consumers….
Possible approaches
Reduce heavy dependency on externally supplied Agri-
inputs (Water, Nutrition, Crop Protection, Energy)
Using and recycling farm based resources & others eg. City
Waste
Cover rainfed areas (Approx. 60% of Agriculture in India)
with Crop Diversity
Use New Science & Technology like Biotechnology along
with Known Tools judiciously i.e. IPM, INM…. type of
concepts
+

8. VERSATILITY OF
AGRI
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Hybrids
Soil
Health
GM
Seeds
Bio
Pesticides
(Botanicals,
Microbial)
Bio
Fertilizer
Farm
Energy
Water
Diagnostics
Organic
Manure
NUTRITION
Weather
Forecast
PEST & DISEASE
MANAGEMENT
Tissue
Culture
PLANTING
MATERIALS
Bio
Fuel
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Water

9. Bio Agri – Current Snapshot
Though GM seeds is a key product, Bio Agri offerings span across all key
agriculture inputs making it central to sustainable agriculture
Key Agriculture Inputs
High Yielding
Seeds
Bio Fertilizers
Waste Water
Utilization
Salinity
Tolerant
Drought
Tolerant
Bio Agri Landscape
Bio Pesticides
KeyAgriBiotechOfferings
Disease
Resistant
Insect
Resistant
Nitrogen
Fixing
Solubilizin
g
Mobilizing
Micro
Nutrients
Botanical
Viral
Fungal
Plant
Growth
Regulation
Grey
Water
Sewage
Water
Source: Leading Indian Academician –Department of Genetics
Source: CII Agribiotech Subcommittee Notes, Accenture Analysis, Primary Interviews

10. Waste Management Solutions
 Dealing with huge quantity of waste – both
solid and liquid -, as also industrial waste….
 Again Biotechnology has lot of solutions.
1. Solid Waste
2. Liquid Waste
3. Industrial Waste
4. Urban Farming

11. Organic Waste Converter (OWC)
Mobile van for organic waste
composting
Solid Waste Management
Vegetable Market Waste Processing
Bioneer

12. Urban Farming
Urban Farming – White chilly
Cultivation: Growth after 3 month.
Urban Farming – Tomato
Cultivation: Growth after 3 month.

13. Waste Water Treatment - Biofilter

14. Use of Biotechnology for Green
Chemistry
 The Chemical Industry has come under increasing
pressure to make production more eco-friendly.
 This calls for a shift from hydrocarbon economy to
carbohydrate economy.
 Production based on renewable raw material and
enzyme based reactions provides for more eco-
friendly operations. The reactions are more energy
efficient and less polluting.
 We have to evolve processes which do not use fossil
fuels or solvents & less toxic and polluting by
introducing biotechnology based chemical reactions.

15. Tools in Biotechnology
for Chemical Industry
 Biocatalysts : Using microbes or enzymes
derived from microbial culture instead of
synthetic chemicals
 Protein Engineering : Natural enzyme activity
is optimized to be used in solvents or
reactants
 Metabolic Engineering : Metabolic pathway of
the enzyme is changed to make it suitable for
chemical reactions
 Others

16.  Succinic Acid produced from either Glycerin or Glucose
has increased from 3000 MT in the year 2011 to 50000 MT in
the year 2013.
 Lanza Tech using waste carbon monoxide from Steel mills
and micro organisms produces 2,3 Butanediol.
 Lanxess produces 10,000 MT of Bio-based Ethylene
Propylene Diene Monomer using about 50-70% Ethylene
derived from Sugarcane.
 Mitsubishi Rayon produces Acrylamide with the help of
immobilized bacterial enzyme. This process results in
reduction of CO2 production from 1.5 kg per kg of
Acrylamide to 0.3 kg per kg. of Acrylamide and energy
requirement from 1.9 MJ to 0.4 MJ.
Industrial Biotechnology : Chemicals from
Renewable Resources – Some Examples

17. Biotechnology Parks
 The idea of having a separate area reserved for biotechnology
related activities for R&D and Production is catching on at
different states level in India & world wide basis.
 Creating common infrastructure facilities will be beneficial to
SME units.
 These parks can be developed in PPP model
 common training, marketing pool can be created
 Special schemes can be formulated by government and
financial institutes to encourage and upgrade facilities.
 Larger corporates and MNCs can provide technology & know
how to SMEs in the park to outsource their activities.
 Synergistic, interdependent consortia can be created
.

18. Thanks