The circular bioeconomy may be a high-risk gamble, but it's also a high-growth opportunity, believes Priyanka Dhingra, lead ESG and proxy voting analyst at SBI Mutual Funds.
"If all the parts of the vehicle are moving together, then it's a great opportunity," she noted, emphasising the need for alignment across the ecosystem.
From the industry's vantage point, the sugar sector sees both potential and challenges. Ravi Gupta, executive director at Shree Renuka Sugars, pointed out that while sugar is a structured industry in terms of cane collection, scaling in compressed biogas would demand far more.
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"If the sugar industry is to become big in CBG, then the collection of agriculture residues will become a task," he said. He cautioned against relying solely on pressmud or spentwash, stressing that multiple raw materials and strong delivery infrastructure will be key to expansion.
Large players will need to lead the way, argued Shishir Priyadarshi, president of the Chintan Research Foundation. "Any area where both the returns are somewhat uncertain, and especially if they have a long gestation period, then it's but natural that the bigger players need to come in first," he said.
Biofuels, he added, could play a major role in India's energy mix, but only if players with liquidity, risk appetite, and proven project management step up first.
For investors, the question remains one of risk coverage. Nikhil Moghe, partner at KPMG India, noted that mechanisms already exist globally. "There are guarantee products in the market, and beyond guarantee products, some risk-sharing facilities have already been defined by global funding institutes for products in nascent stages," he explained.
The challenge, he said, lies in dovetailing these products into the Indian ecosystem and aligning them with government policy.
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