Biotech industry driving both human and animal nutrition: experts

Biotechnology graduates are the architects of the next animal science revolution in the country, experts said at a webinar on “Biotech Careers: Food and Nutrition” on Sunday (March 22, 2026).

The webinar was jointly organised by the Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, and The Hindu as part of the series titled “Biotechnology: Role in Industry 5.0 — Sustainable Future Pathways”.

“While the growth rate of the food processing market is estimated at 13%, India’s bio-economy rate is projected to be much higher. This means biotechnology students will have enough career opportunities to steer the growth over the next decade,” Anand K. Jadi, general manager and plant head, ICML Medak, ITC Ltd., said.

G. Jayaraman, Professor and Dean of the School of Biosciences and Technology at the VIT, Chennai, spoke about biotechnology’s increasing influence in various sectors, including agriculture, food, healthcare, and research-driven innovation. He said the biotech industry was driving both human and animal nutrition. “It is enhancing the quality and quantity of food by improving the sustainability of production systems,” he said.

Chakkaravarthi Saravanan, Associate Professor at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Kundli, Haryana, pointed out that with an ever-increasing population, shrinking land space, and rising food prices, the significance of biotechnology for food was growing.

Speaking on the role of biotechnology in the livestock industry, R. Balaguru, technical director at V.K. Palappa Nadar Poultry Farms Pvt. Ltd., said 70% of the rural poor in the world depended on livestock.

The panellists advocated for establishing a solid foundation for learning and understanding new-age technologies, including AI, machine learning, and data analytics that would help steer the defining moments in R&D.