The biotechnological industry in India was valued at $63 billion in 2019. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.4% opening doors for lucrative options for those looking for a future in this sector, says SACHIN GUPTA

Biotechnology is the technological application wherein the living systems and organisms are used to develop products. With the global biotechnological market expected to reach the value of over $727 billion by 2025, the biotech employment rate is expected to grow by 5% by 2029. The biotechnological industry in India was valued at $63 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.4% while it is estimated to value $150 billion by 2025.

This industry is a major economic driver in the country and in the world. India is also the 3rd largest biotechnology destination in Asia- Pacific and is among the 12 top destinations in the world. When we think about biotechnology we more often think about scientists in labs, medicines and pharmaceuticals but biotechnology has many other career options and different segments to explore offering various job prospects.

Plant biotechnologist

This field falls under the domain of agricultural science and revolves around research. Students wanting to have a career in this field should have the basic understanding of the industry, along with the knowledge of the demands of the companies that deal with food production. Apart from this, individuals interested in this career field should have a fundamental learning of biotechnological concepts. This field offers careers in fields like plant breeder, production manager, professor, sales manager and more.

A person pursuing plant biotechnologist may work to create a sustainable and reliable food source for global use, apply genetic and biochemical technologies to improve condition of crops and quality of the seeds. Besides this, plant biotechnologists also play a role in medical research and also work to make crops that are resistant towards diseases, droughts and other disasters.

Industrial biotechnologist

This field plays an important role in the medical and healthcare sector. Students who wish to pursue a graduation degree should at least score 50% in their HSC exams while those who want to pursue a postgraduate should have 60% minimum as their score in industrial biotechnology, biotechnology or any other related field. The role of an industrial biotechnologist is to develop and monitor the manufacturing processes, set up and operate standard laboratory models, conduct data analysis on tests and evaluate the outcome.

The field offers job opportunities posts like bioproduction operators, technical solution manager, biomedical engineers, trainee research associate and many more. Students interested in this field should have a knack for various skills like problem solving, time management, analytical skills, technical skills, communication skills and more. The applicability of industrial biotechnology is expected to be accountable for the 39% to the economic value by 2030 produced by biotechnology. This field has a great future as different industries are enabling the use of biotechnology for sustainability. Since it is funded by private as well as government companies the future scope in this field is vast and emerging at a rapid pace.

Environmental biotechnologist

This field is in the stream of science that deals with microorganisms to improve the environment. It is a combination of both biology as well as engineering in which students learn to remediate microbes, bacteria and more into harmless organelles which will be beneficial for the environment. There is seen to be a notable demand for environmental biologists where the industry would be seeking to appoint individuals in over 13,000 various job roles by 2022 and with a growth rate of more than 15% in the industry. Students wanting to pursue this field should have a degree in BSc or biotechnology with a science stream and must have learned topics such as natural science, research methods, agricultural science and more.

Environmental biotechnologists work on converting sustainable resources into biofuels, perform complex tests in the laboratory, maintain a document and analyse the results of the field and lab and more. Apart from this, another task of an environmental biotechnologist is to oversee the data quality and the process improvements as it helps in business and scientific workgroups. This field offers career opportunities for environmental scientist, lecturer, director of waste management, environmental specialist, environmental consultant and more. These jobs are offered by many industries, environmental monitoring organisations, NGOs, Public and Private Industries and many other sectors.

The writer is Chancellor, Sanskriti University