In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Sawan Kumar, Deputy Director, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, Sea6Energy Pvt. Ltd. shared his views on the status of the Agri biological industry in India.

The recent Strait of Hormuz disruption has exposed India’s heavy dependence on imported fertilisers and energy-linked agricultural inputs, highlighting the urgent need to build a more resilient and self-reliant farming ecosystem. Agribiological solutions such as biofertilisers, biostimulants and biopesticides are increasingly emerging as strategic alternatives that can reduce dependence on synthetic inputs while improving nutrient-use efficiency and soil health. The interview also examines the rapid shift towards biological crop protection, driven by consumer demand for residue-free food, rising pesticide resistance and stricter global sustainability standards. Expert believes the government’s evolving regulatory framework for biostimulants will accelerate investment, improve product quality and strengthen farmer confidence in science-based biological solutions. Emerging technologies such as microbial consortia, cell-free extracts and nanotechnology are poised to redefine the agribiological industry and play a critical role in India’s future food and nutrient security.

What lessons can the Indian agriculture sector learn from the recent  supply chain disruption caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz is a direct lifeline for Indian agriculture as India heavily depends on it for import of fertiliser or fertiliser intermediates or raw materials (fuel or petrochemicals).

 The agribiological industry can definitely play a strategic role in improving Indian agriculture and reducing dependency on imported chemical inputs.

Modern agricultural systems rely heavily on synthetic chemical fertilisers to meet crop nutrient requirements. In contrast, microbe-based biofertilisers naturally fix, solubilise, and mobilise essential nutrients, delivering them directly to the plant. Our modern farming systems have high dependency on synthetic fertiliser to meet its nutrient requirement. Use of microbial biofertilisers may partially offset this dependency on synthetic fertilisers

Nutrient leaching or nutrient run off is one of the major challenges in agriculture. To overcome this problem, farmers use fertiliser in their field in excess, much beyond the standard package of practice. Use of biofertilisers or biostimulants can improve physiological efficiency and help crops perform better even under reduced fertiliser regimes.

Integrating the use of different biological solutions such as biopesticides, immunity booster, bio-fungicides, host specific phages along with other pest management programs can reduce the risk of infection or reduce the frequency of pesticide usage, thereby reducing the overall usage of synthetic pesticides in the crop.Manufacture of synthetic fertiliser such as Urea is highly dependent on natural gas. Production of biofertiliser generally has low energy dependency.

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