Balrampur Chini wins $7.8M government grant to build India's first PLA plant
What's the deal? Balrampur Chini Mills (BCML)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has been awarded a US$10.2M grant — roughly $7.8 million — from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, part of India's Department of BiotechnologyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The money will fund a research facility for poly lactic acid (PLA), a bio-based plastic, at the company's complex in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh.
Why now? The grant comes under the BioE3 initiative, a government programme aimed at growing India's bioeconomy through biotechnology for economy, environment, and employment. It signals state backing for domestic biomanufacturing capacity.
What's the endgame? The 100 tonnes-per-annum R&D facility will develop specialised PLA grades and advanced co-polymers for high-value applications. It sits alongside plans for what BCML calls India's first integrated commercial PLA manufacturing unit, generating the technical data needed to scale production.
The product: The facility will run the full development cycle — from new PLA formulations to pilot samples, performance validation, and market-ready technologies. BCML, one of India's largest integrated sugar producers, operates ten factories with a combined crushing capacity of 80,000 tonnes per day, plus distillery and power cogeneration operations.
"This facility will help build indigenous technology, develop next-generation bio-based materials, and create the scientific and technical capabilities required for India to lead the global transition towards sustainable manufacturing," said Avantika Saraogi, executive director of Balrampur Chini Mills.
The signal: As global markets shift toward bio-based materials and circular manufacturing, a legacy sugar producer moving into biopolymers reflects how India's agri-industrial firms are diversifying. Government co-funding suggests the state sees domestic PLA capacity as a strategic priority.
Read more: businessupturn.com
Image credit: paulshaffner
