Being Special Chief Secretary to the Government of Telangana. Jayesh Ranjan leads pivotal departments including Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce etc. A 1992 All-India IAS topper, his academic portfolio spans Delhi University, IIM Calcutta, and Lee Kuan Yew School. Widely recognized for his policymaking acumen and international consultancy, Ranjan has been instrumental in driving strategic economic growth and innovation across Telangana.In this exclusive interview with Rashmi Kumari of Neo Science Hub, he details Telangana’s robust startup support, fast-tracking novel food regulation, investment in FoodTech, and holistic strategies advancing India’s sustainable protein and biotech revolution.
Telangana has emerged as a biotech hub with programs like T-Fund and T-Spark providing up to INR 1 crore in grants for early-stage innovations. How is the state government specifically supporting startup like Biokraft Foods in scaling lab-grown meat and precision-fermented proteins, and what new incentives are planned for 2025 to attract more investments in this sector?
Telangana has created a strong biotech base through T-Fund, T-Spark, and T-Hub, supporting over 200 life sciences startups, including food-tech innovators like Biokraft Foods, Evo Foods, and Phyx44 working on lab-grown and precision-fermented proteins.
In 2025, we plan to roll out a “Sustainable Protein Acceleration Program” under Genome Valley 2.0, offering pilot-scale infrastructure, 30% R&D reimbursement, and global investor linkages. The goal is to make Hyderabad a launchpad for Asia’s alternative protein revolution.
With FSSAI classifying cultivated meat as a “novel food” under NSF Regulations and approvals taking 6-8 months, what role can the Telangana IT and Industries departments play in streamlining state-level facilitation for these startups filing for clearances, especially amid the 46% CAGR projection for India’s precision fermentation market by 2033?
With FSSAI approvals taking 6–8 months, Telangana’s IT and Industries departments are coordinating with FSSAI’s Southern Regional Office and DBT’s Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) to set up a “Novel Food Facilitation Cell” at Hyderabad Knowledge City.
This cell will assist startups like ClearMeat and Biokraft Foods with state-level scientific validation and documentation — helping reduce clearance time by nearly 40%, positioning Telangana as India’s first state with a regulatory fast-track for novel foods.
Your leadership has driven cross-sector partnerships via T-Hub’s CoEs in FoodTech and sustainability. Can you share examples of how Telangana is collaborating with national bodies like FSSAI and DBT to accelerate breakthroughs, such as India’s first cultivated chicken tasting earlier this year, and empower local startups to lead the global protein revolution?
Under T-Hub’s FoodTech CoE and BioAsia, Telangana has partnered with FSSAI, DBT, and CSIR for R&D and consumer awareness pilots.
For instance, India’s first cultivated chicken tasting in Hyderabad earlier this year involved coordination between Evo Foods, CCMB, and FSSAI experts. Telangana is now facilitating shared fermentation labs in Genome Valley for startups to prototype faster and partner with global players like Good Food Institute (GFI) and A*STAR Singapore.
The Telangana Life Sciences Policy aims to position Hyderabad as a global leader in biotech exports, including sustainable food tech. How do you envision integrating lab-grown meat and microbial proteins into the state’s industrial promotion strategies to enhance food security and reduce environmental impact, particularly in rural and tribal development areas?
Through the Telangana Life Sciences Policy 2.0, we are expanding Genome Valley and promoting rural biotech clusters in districts like Siddipet and Medak.
Lab-grown meat and microbial protein manufacturing units will be encouraged with green category incentives, and partnerships with tribal cooperatives will enable farmers to supply bio-feedstocks. This approach not only supports food security and rural livelihoods, but also aligns with our net-zero industry roadmap.
As someone who’s mentored civil servants and attracted billions in IT investments, what do you see as the biggest opportunities and hurdles for Indian startups in commercializing these eco-friendly proteins by 2025—such as consumer acceptance or scaling production—and how can government policies address them to make India a frontrunner?
India’s eco-protein market is poised for a 46% CAGR, and startups like Phyx44 (Hyderabad), Shaka Harry (Bengaluru), and MyoWorks (Pune) are leading innovation.
The main hurdles remain cost competitiveness and consumer trust. Telangana is addressing this through public tasting events, F&B partnerships with ITC and Rebel Foods, and pilot manufacturing grants at the BioNest incubation hub.
With continued policy support, India can move from import dependence to being a net exporter of sustainable proteins by 2025.
