Agricultural biotechnology bringing about sustainability in farming

By: Janifha Evangeline | Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Dr. Ramanathan Vairamani, Chief - Technology and Innovation, Rallis India Ltd., in interaction with Industry Outlook magazine, shares his views on how the agricultural biotechnology market is evolving in India and how it is expected to lay more emphasis on sustainability in farming by offering suitable innovations.

To stay ahead of the curve in today’s competitive agricultural biotechnology market, agricultural heads need to be aware of back-to-back transformations. How do you see the changing role of a CTO in the agricultural biotechnology industry?

Agriculture today is dynamic. It is constantly changing with new environments, new technologies, and producing new results. With countries laying impetus on food security, amidst heightened demand from a burgeoning global population, agricultural biotechnology is expected to play a significant role in enhancing farm productivity and self-sufficiency.

The global agricultural biotechnology market size is expected to reach $66.2 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 9.4%. This reflects the scope for competition and growth in this segment.

A major purpose of biotechnology in agriculture is to ferry it into the modern age, while offering scientific tools and solutions to farmers to increase yield and productivity, and ward off potential natural risks.

Accordingly, the role of a Chief Technology Officer at an agricultural biotechnology business is evolving in terms of the changing approaches to agriculture, addressing challenges with solutions, and adding direction and strategy to the path of modernization through innovation.

A CTO must implement new learnings as required, quickly adapting to the changing needs and knowledge of farmers, land-related factors, and market situations. Considering that the sector is surrounded by significant government regulation, coupled with a lack of awareness, a CTO also contributes to the spread of knowledge in the field, while dispelling misinformation.

Science is at the heart of agricultural biotechnology. Hence, to maintain a competitive edge, a CTO must be oriented towards optimally utilizing R&D infused with new and relevant technologies to create products suited to a particular market and involve farmers in their introduction and usage.

One of the major concerns for the CTOs in the agricultural biotechnology industry is the higher costs for the development of Agri biotech products. How do you propose to allay these concerns?

High costs going into the development of Agri biotech products remain a concern. Apart from the costs incurred in research and the development of a product itself, the time spent on its approval also translates into a high cost for a company.

However, where high cost is an impediment, it is also an opportunity for innovating processes, making them more cost-effective, ultimately benefiting farmers. Gene editing is one such innovation that has become an integral part of the toolbox for agribiotech companies. It is affordable and takes less time.

Globally, it is subject to a much lower level of regulation in comparison to transgenic technology. Many of the recent-age innovations in the US have come out of startup companies, demonstrating their affordability. Today, companies are bullish about digitalization, which ensures the timeliness, precision, and accuracy of processes. It is such an intrinsic pressure that has led to novel technologies like gene editing which are more affordable and

involve lesser regulatory oversight. Data analytics is pushing efficiency, quality, and safety. The incorporation of automation, IoT, and other digital tools across the value chain helps improve employee experience, reduce cycle time, and increase learning and development capabilities.

Internet penetration has enabled companies to connect with customers, including farmers in remote villages. Taking operations closer to the customers brings down logistical costs.

Alongside digitalization, R&D geared towards developing cost-effective processes, the regular launch of new products to address portfolio gaps, and affordable scale-up of development will also help reduce costs.

Agricultural biotechnology, through its solutions, can help the sector economically in the long run. The resistance it can offer to crops against pests, diseases, etc. while enabling their growth against varying conditions and in a timelier way, will result in a steady yield. Biotechnology provides farmers with the tools that can make cultivation cheaper and manageable while keeping pace with the demand for food. This demand-supply cycle would ultimately lead to the cost-effective development of Agri biotech products.

Agricultural biotechnology has to comply with a variety of government and industry regulations. How can the process be made more efficient with constant innovations?

Agricultural biotechnology is governed by very strict regulations the world over to ensure the safety of the products when they are approved for use. Advocacy is necessary to make the technology properly understood and accepted.

As a ray of hope recently, the Indian Government has brought in some key reforms to boost the sector, which is likely to attract the necessary technological interventions to improve productivity and quality of produce, thus benefiting farmers and the entire value chain.

As a shot in the arm for the sector, the government recently issued orders exempting certain gene-edited plants from stringent biosafety regulations. The move exempts SDN 1 and SDN 2 varieties of plants from a set of regulations currently imposed on the commercialization of genetically-modified transgenic crops, and regulators would instead rely on the Institutional Biosafety Committee to certify that the gene-edited crop is devoid of any foreign DNA. SDN 1 and SDN 2 processes do not involve any foreign genetic material, with the result being similar to conventionally-bred crop varieties.

This exemption is a tremendous opportunity for innovation, leading to lower GE development costs, and companies will be able to deliver solutions at short notice.

Meanwhile, products from the Agri biotech industry continue to be regulated according to their intended use. With the easing of some restrictions, compliance with the same will become a simpler process. The sector can accordingly plan products with desired results, with enough room for further innovation.

Expedited approvals for vaccines, the use of technologies like the Cowin app to support vaccination efforts, and collaboration between Government ministries and private sector players have helped India deal with the Covid pandemic relatively better than most unfortunate countries. The prime factor for all this was thoughtful leadership. Once the dedicated and committed leadership is demonstrated, everything falls in place. We seek similar leadership to set the agenda to avoid future crises in food shortage, fiber shortage, etc. in the country and make India a shining beacon for sustainable progress through Ag technology adoption.

How do you see the future of agricultural biotechnology concerning the adoption of new trends and technologies?

The world today is conscious of issues like climate change and environmental protection. Sustainability and innovation will be guiding principles for any economic activity, including agriculture, in the coming years. Accordingly, agricultural biotechnology is expected to lay more emphasis on sustainability in farming by offering suitable innovations.

Innovation is a major tool in overcoming challenges in agriculture at a global level. R&D and innovative approaches such as molecular breeding, genomic prediction, and gene editing are some examples of the next-generation tools that will pave the way in improving productivity, efficacy, and social, economic, and environmental impact of the agri-food sector.

Agricultural biotechnology today is replete with innovations, developments, and breakthroughs for a host of requirements. Interventions such as marker-assisted breeding and CRISPR, are expected to address problems, including food shortage and disease. Further, AI, analytics, connected sensors, and other emerging technologies could help increase yields, improve the efficiency of water and other inputs, and build sustainability and resilience across crop cultivation and animal husbandry.

However, the successful adoption of agricultural biotechnology will eventually depend on farmers. Solutions and innovations must thus be developed to suit their needs.

The sector is constantly evolving, influenced by changing customer needs and other natural factors. With favorable government policies, agricultural biotechnology can hope for an exciting, sustainable future.