Gandhinagar, Oct 9 (IANS) Gujarat plans to invest Rs 50 crore over five years in an integrated bio-manufacturing ecosystem to expand the production of biofertilisers and biopesticides, as disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis highlight vulnerabilities in global agricultural-input supply chains.
The Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM), under the state Department of Science and Technology, is developing the proposed initiative to promote indigenous biological products, support startups and small enterprises, and strengthen the availability of alternative agricultural inputs.
An MoU between GSBTM and Anand Agricultural University (AAU) will be signed in Bhavnagar on Friday to establish biomanufacturing facilities for biofertilisers and biopesticides.
The event will be attended by Science and Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Cooperation and Animal Husbandry Minister Jitu Vaghani.
The initiative seeks to connect microbial research with product development, manufacturing, field testing and adoption by farmers.
It will involve agricultural universities, biotechnology institutions, startups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives, non-governmental organisations and Farmer Producer Organisations.
The proposed ecosystem comes against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions affecting energy markets, shipping routes and the movement of agricultural inputs.
Natural gas is a key raw material for nitrogen fertiliser production, while phosphate and potash supplies depend on mineral resources concentrated in particular regions. Timely access to fertilisers is critical for farmers because their application is linked to specific stages of crop growth.
The proposed initiative aims to diversify agricultural-input sources through biofertilisers, biostimulants, microbial consortia and other biological technologies, while conventional fertilisers continue to play an important role in agriculture.
AAU’s existing research and production capabilities are expected to provide the scientific foundation for the programme.
The university has developed and commercialised biofertiliser technologies using microorganisms such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Rhizobium, phosphate-solubilising bacteria and potassium-mobilising bacteria.
It has also developed microbial consortia, including Bio-NP and Bio-NPK. According to the state government’s information, AAU had produced and sold around 42 lakh litres of biofertiliser products up to the 2024-25 financial year, covering nearly 42 lakh hectares.
The university also maintains a repository of more than 1,000 microbial cultures relevant to biofertilisers, biopesticides and biodecomposers.
DNA sequence data for 148 microbial strains have been deposited with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The proposed programme has four components.
The first involves establishing a central bio-strain repository and pilot facility at AAU, including a proposed biorepository spread over 528.96 square metres and a 1,054-square-metre pilot-scale facility.
It also envisages conserving more than 5,000 native microbial strains, carrying out genomic sequencing of over 500 strains, developing a digital Gujarat Bio-Strain Database and creating more than 10 new bio-formulations.
The second component proposes an allocation of Rs 13 crore to support startups, MSMEs, cooperatives, NGOs and Farmer Producer Organisations in developing pilot-scale manufacturing capabilities.
Another Rs nine crore is proposed for scientific field validation of biological products across different agro-climatic regions and farmer demonstrations through Gujarat’s agricultural university network.
The fourth component focuses on large-scale cooperative manufacturing, with automated fermentation, formulation and packaging facilities proposed through partners including AMUL, Banas, SUMUL and KRIBHCO.
Under the proposed framework, research institutions will contribute to microbial discovery and product development. At the same time, agricultural universities will undertake field validation, and startups, MSMEs, and cooperatives will help scale up production.
The long-term objective is to develop commercially viable agricultural products from indigenous biological resources and manufacture them within India.
The state has proposed the Rs 50-crore outlay over five years, although the programme’s intended outcomes will depend on the establishment of facilities, validation of products and their adoption by farmers.
–IANS
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