Next Gen Microbials – factories for sustainable growth in agriculture

As Climate change threatens yields and profits in agriculture globally due to compromised environmental conditions, the world is seeking solutions. According to Sandeepa Kanitkar founder and managing director of Pune [India] based agri-biotech company solutions lie with the invisible world in our soils and habitats - Microbiome!

With 25 microbial products commercially available and registered in India and 12 more in the R and D pipeline, Kan Biosys targets every aspect of crop production cycle - from seed to harvest and thereafter! Kanitkar stresses that these are not just for yield improvement or profits but aid in healing our planet and our soils for a sustainable future. 

She isn't standing alone in this mission. With a team of 180, Kan Biosys is making a mark in the biologics field and is a known player for innovative and quality microbial products. Kan Biosys growth strategy is centered around scaling up of microbial products both at production and market level by teaming with various stakeholders for reaching novel technology and products to the farmers. Recent strategic partnership with French multinational De Sangosse is a part of this growth strategy for expanding scope and reach of biological solutions to many current challenges in domestic and international markets.

While ambitions are great Kanitkar hasn't lost sight of Kan Biosys grounding purpose - to empower the Indian farmers using local and global technologies. She also stresses the importance of inclusivity, training for creating awareness for developing the biologics markets which needs a different set of tools.

As she reiterates, soil carbon and microbes can do wonders for sustainable agriculture. We have just scratched the surface and the best is yet to come! 

Sandeepa Kanitkar, Managing Director of Kan Biosys

Kan Biosys has been working with agricultural microbes for over two decades. What first inspired you to explore this field and where do you see the greatest potential for microbial technologies in agriculture? 

Microbes are the key players involved in all aspects of crop production. From crop nutrition to  improving/sustaining soil fertility as well as in restraining the pest/pathogens of crops by acting as their natural enemies. So the challenge to develop a microbial product portfolio and take it to the farmers in a market flooded with chemical fertilizers and pesticides was humongous. Infinite opportunities in working with microbiome was an attractive proposition and being an industrial microbiologist could motivate a team to work for 120 m land holdings in India with miraculous microbes since 1991 which was quite ahead of its time! 

Starting with the first Indian patent for stabilisation of liquid biofertilizer which got us the WIPO Gold Medal of United nations and subsequently two Technology Day awards we focussed our work with a team now of 180 people to work with microbes. Our Current microbial product portfolio includes about 25 products, for seed care, soil health management, nutrient mobilization, pest/disease management as well as anti-stress biostimulant. This was possible because Kan Biosys houses the largest Culture Bank of agriculturally important microbes and has developed protocols for retaining the potency/virulence of microbial strains even after their mass production under artificial conditions so that our products perform well in fields, are shelf stable and maintain desired quality. Having a microbial portfolio encompassing all the stages of crop growth is our strength and we believe microbe intensive package of practices have answers to some of the challenges facing agriculture - low productivity, food safety and deteriorating soil health. We have just scratched the surface with 25 products!

You have received numerous awards, including the first National Sustainable Agriculture award by the ″Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)." To what do you attribute your success innovating solutions for sustainable agriculture? How does your product "Speed Kompost" address the major environmental issue of farmers burning rice straw residue after harvests? What has been the impact so far?

We attribute our success achieved till now obviously to microbes! They are doing the job for us provided we allow them to work in our fields!!! Nonetheless, our efforts to give the best quality products, field demonstrations of product performance under different agro-climatic zones, adaptation of IPM after checking compatibilities with recommended agrochemicals, developing microbe intensive package of practices has helped us in paving the road to success for  microbials in agriculture.

The FICCI award was for developing a technology with help from Technology Development Board - New Delhi for in situ rice stubble management. Every October we hear Delhi being engulfed in smog and stubble burning being one of the causes of it other than traffic ! We have been growing rice wheat for over 40 years plus which has thoroughly compromised the Soil organic matter. From almost 1% it has come down to less than 0.5 or in some cases even as low as 0.3%. This has resulted in increased cost of cultivation as to get the same yields more chemicals are needed wrt fertilisers and pesticides. The water table is also compromised so much that early sowing is not allowed resulting in shortening of the window between rice harvesting and wheat sowing. With the absence of technology to manage rice stubble farmers who are riddled with low profits have no other option but to burn it. The only solution is to restore soil fertility by ploughing down the rice stubble by adjusting C:N ratio and using microbes so as to create a surface culture fermentation which can loosen the rice stubble high in silica and lignin. 

Here's how Speed Kompost makes a difference:

1. Environmental Impact: stopping air pollution and sequestration of carbon in soil which helps retain water and increases the soil fertility 

2. Enhanced soil health: As carbon is sequestered it helps in building microbial diversity which improves soil structure and fertility

3. Climate change mitigation

4. Economic Impact: reducing cost of cultivation due to soil carbon benefits. Increased crop yields

5. Social Impact: Improved public health 

This technology is ready for implementation over more than a 10 million acres in Punjab and Haryana. FICCI award hopefully would give this technology more visibility in the eyes of farmers, government and citizens! 

Please elaborate on Microbials’ spectrum you offer and on Microbe Intensive Package of Practices for climate resilient agriculture.

Kan Biosys has developed microbial products to cover total crop production cycle from seed to harvest.  

Our soil health management product range includes SpeedKompost for on-farm agri-residue management and CM33 [organic manure] for improving soil health where agri-residue sequestration is not done. 

We providefunctional seed dressing  B:seepel WP formulation for on-farm seed dressing as well as liquid formulation to seed industry for factory seed dressing. The microbes used here are compatible with seed coating agro-chemicals to improve seed germination and plantlet vigour and these beneficial microbes become part of natural flora of crops root zone. 

We provide biofertilizers in liquid and granule forms suitable for use in drip irrigated and rain-fed crops. Vitormone is our unique liquid biofertilizer containing Azotobacter a nitrogen fixing bacterium for foliar application. This product is popular among grape and pomegranate farmers for inducing early flowering and fruit setting. It has been helping farmers since 1993 and is still popular in horticulture, cereals and cotton.

We have liquid biofertilizer range for soil application, Bioplin [Nitrogen Fixing bacteria, NFB], Phosfert [Phosphate solubilizing bacteria, PSB], Potak [Potash Mobilizing bacteria, KMB], TB2 Fertidose [PSB+KMB Consortium], TB3 Fertidose [NFB + PSB + KMB consortium], Zagno [Zinc Solubilizing bacteria, ZSB]. TB2, TB3 and ZSB are available in granule forms also. All the biofertilizer bacteria exhibit compatibility amongst them in product as well as field. 

KanBiosys also has a total spectrum of biopesticides. Amongst 3 biofungicides, Milastin K, a CIB registered biofungicide is an aqueous formulation of Bacillus subtilis KTSB 1015 with unique activator technology has proved itself a boon for export growers as it effectively controls powdery mildew and helps in managing residue levels in grapes. Other 2 wettable powder based biofungicides, Trichoshield Combat [Trichoderma viride] and Sudo [Pseudomonas fluorescens] have proven their merit in control of soil borne fungal infections. Brigboss [Beauveria bassiana] and Metaforce [Metarhizium anisopliae] are broad spectrum bioinsecticides. Brigboss applications when done considering the biorhythms of pest life cycle have shown fantastic results in controlling Pink Bollworm complex, mealybugs, etc.

Nemastin, a Trichoderma harzianum based broad spectrum bionematicide is a perfect biosolution for control of nematodes like root knot nematodes, reniform nematodes and citrus nematodes. It also shows good action against Fusarium oxysporum, a root infecting fungal pathogen causing wilt.

Having a product portfolio that encompasses various needs of crops during crop life cycle stages, it was easier for us to develop Microbe Intensive Package of Practices to significantly improve the fertilizer use efficiency and thus crop yield and quality.

Kan Biosys recently entered a strategic partnership with French company De Sangosse. What are your goals for this partnership and how will it benefit Indian farmers?

The recent partnership between Kan Biosys and De Sangosse represents a landmark moment for Indian agriculture. It's not just about two companies coming together; it's about igniting innovation, expanding horizons pan-India and empowering farmers through sustainable solutions. With this collaboration, we have ambitious goals directly impacting the lives of Indian farmers through reaching global technologies to the Indian farmers and technologies developed in India globally.

What is your strategy for growth, whether through partnerships, new products, or expanding reach? 

At Kan Biosys, we see growth as a continuous process of nurturing innovation, fostering partnerships, and expanding our reach, all with the goal of empowering farmers and building a sustainable future for Indian agriculture. 

Our multi-pronged strategy focuses on three key pillars:

1. Synergistic Partnerships: collaborations with NGO’s, Public institutions, universities and organisations to leverage global expertise and shared commitment to innovation. 

2. Innovation: We maintain a robust research and development pipeline, constantly incubating new bio-solutions and crop protection technologies. Our focus is on addressing local needs like drought resistance and sustainable practices, empowering farmers with the tools they need to thrive. We have a pipeline of almost 12 products in all 3 aspects of nutrient, pest/disease and soil health management. This is the outcome of almost 32 years of focussed research in microbes.

3. Expanding Horizons: We actively explore new markets, both domestically and internationally.

We embrace digital transformation, operational efficiency, and a customer-centric approach to ensure sustainable growth. We believe in putting farmers first, understanding their needs, and providing exceptional service to build trust and loyalty for biologics.

As vice-chairman of the Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BASAI), what do you see as the major opportunities and challenges for increasing adoption of biological and microbial crop inputs in the country?

The future of Indian agriculture is brimming with possibilities for biological and microbial inputs. At BASAI, we see the immense potential they hold to transform farming into a sustainable powerhouse. We have more than 28 member companies in India working in the field of biological solutions. Biologics market in India currently is around 400 to 500m $ [estimates] growing rapidly with a CAGR of almost 15% and BASAI helps us to advance our mission and vision in the field of sustainable agriculture with the government. BASAI works for championing the cause of biologics - better technologies for climate change, seed dressings, biofertilizers, biopesticides, soil amendments, organic fertilisers, biostimulants  and biologics for reduction of residues in our food. BASAI is also trying to create awareness about biologics at consumer, farmer, government and at policy level. 

At BASAI, we're committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to make this vision a reality.

There is tremendous potential for new microbial solutions, whether for improving soil health, crop nutrition or pest management. What technology or product area are you most excited about for the future?

Our efforts are focused on developing the Microbe intensive, safe and nature friendly Package of Practices for conventional as well as organic farming against a backdrop of Climate change to ensure the residue free, safe food for all. 

Ultimately, my excitement lies not in a single technology or product, but in the boundless possibilities offered by the entire field of microbial solutions. The future of agriculture is microbial, and I can't wait to be a participant in this exciting field. 

For more information, you can contact Kan Biosys team at exports@kanbiosys.com