How this biotech company is changing the agricultural sector with sustainable alternatives

Being in a consumer economy can be quite difficult in today’s world, as increasing production without considering the environment sets the stage for a perilous future. “Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility,” says Ravi Agrawal, President of Gencrest, part of the Samta Group of Companies. Gencrest is a fully integrated biotechnology company, focused on research and innovation. With its head office and R&D center located in Mumbai, the company has a manufacturing unit in Bhusawal, Maharashtra.

The main objective of the company is to create an agricultural value chain by recycling agricultural waste and creating economic value for the agricultural community. The company’s mission is to create sustainable solutions for everyday life. From sustainable fibers to bioethanol, Gencrest believes in developing green solutions for a better future, says Vinay Gupta, CEO of Gencrest.

Stimulate innovation
“To realize the vision, Gencrest has driven breakthrough product innovations through enzyme solutions. These are carried out at in-house R&D centers in Mumbai and Bengaluru in India and Philadelphia in the United States. These research centers work in synergy with different leading institutes to design and develop multiple innovative and sustainable products,” says Gupta.

“This extensive research has enabled the development of multiple products, including but not limited to bio-nutrients, bio-fibers, bio-plastics, bio-gas and many other bio-agro products without waste. Among them, the “green solution for farmers”, the biostimulant known as Agrosatva, containing micronutrients N, P, K and growth hormones. Agrosatva has been successfully tested in agricultural land with major benefits that include soil nutrition, increased bacterial growth, increased immunity, improved root development, growth, flowering and fruiting leading to significant yield improvement with reduced input costs for farmers. The most lasting benefit being the basic raw material, agribiomass,” he adds.

The excessive use of chemicals would make it difficult to grow crops in the near future. And while we cannot completely eradicate chemicals from our lives, we can reduce their impact by changing processes through the incorporation of enzyme technology. Eco-friendly brands — Vybrana, a conscious fiber, and Agrosatva, a biostimulant — were developed with this goal in mind. Today, waste is a treasure. This reality has been recognized by scientists, academics, sustainability experts and intellectuals, all of whom are working hard to establish that agro-biomass is the new currency. “These innovations are capable of causing a revolution,” adds Agrawal.