Recently, 18 experts from institutions including China Agricultural University and Tsinghua University conducted in-depth discussions on the current status of technological innovation and industrial applications, future development prospects, technical requirements, and policy needs in fields such as agricultural synthetic biology, biomaterials and bioenergy, biofeeds, biofertilizers, and biological agro-veterinary drugs. Based on these discussions and in alignment with industry realities and national strategic demands, this report has been further developed.
01
Deeply understand the strategic significance of developing the agricultural biomanufacturing industry
Biomanufacturing refers to a new manufacturing paradigm that utilizes renewable biomass as raw materials and advanced biotechnology as the core method for material conversion and product production. Characterized by renewable feedstocks, green processes, and high-performance products, it has become a focal area in global competition for emerging industries and a key driver for fostering new forms of productive capacity.
Agricultural biomanufacturing is a strategic field crucial to food security, the "dual carbon" goals, the development of a strong agricultural nation, and international competitiveness, and is triggering a new round of agricultural industrial revolution worldwide.
(1) Developing agricultural biomanufacturing is a major strategic choice for accelerating the construction of a modern, large-scale agricultural industry. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to coordinate the development of "four types of agriculture" and build agriculture into a modern, large-scale industry. The agricultural biomanufacturing industry can fundamentally expand the boundaries of agricultural production, enabling us to "obtain protein and energy from microorganisms," and establish a new form of "factory-style agriculture" that does not primarily rely on traditional arable land. It serves as a key engine for driving the transformation and upgrading of agriculture and enhancing industrial value.
According to relevant statistics, the total scale of China's bio-manufacturing industry reached over 1.1 trillion yuan in 2025, with the agricultural bio-manufacturing sector exceeding 500 billion yuan in market size—accounting for nearly 50% of the national bio-manufacturing industry.
Compared to other sectors, agriculture possesses the richest resources of biomass materials such as crop straw. China generates over 3.5 billion tons of agricultural waste annually, providing a vast resource base for large-scale industrialized bio-manufacturing. At the same time, agriculture is also the field with the broadest application scenarios for various green bioproducts, offering tremendous room for industrial expansion. Against the backdrop of increasingly severe global food security challenges, agricultural bio-manufacturing—driven by explosive growth potential in niche areas such as novel feed proteins, biofertilizers, biopesticides, and functional food ingredients—is emerging as the largest and most impactful segment within the national bio-manufacturing strategy. Developing agricultural bio-manufacturing represents a key pathway and critical direction for expanding the boundaries of the agricultural industry, enhancing its added value, and advancing new forms of agricultural productivity.
(2) Developing agricultural biomanufacturing is one of the most effective pathways to achieve the nation's "dual carbon" strategic goals. Agriculture possesses dual attributes as both a carbon source and a carbon sink. Agricultural biomanufacturing treats agricultural biomass resources—such as crop straw, livestock manure, and vegetable waste—which are often regarded as waste or pollutants—as valuable "carbon resources." By utilizing biological conversion technologies to produce high-value products (e.g., proteins, materials), it transforms "carbon burdens" into "carbon assets," directly contributing to a circular economy and negative-carbon manufacturing. This makes it the most practical and effective approach for realizing the "dual carbon" objectives.
Calculations show that replacing traditional chemical fertilizers with biofertilizers can reduce carbon emissions in agricultural production by 30% to 45%, while substituting chemical pesticides with biopesticides can cut overall carbon emissions by over 25%. For every ton of agricultural and forestry biomass utilized through biomanufacturing, 0.8 to 1.2 tons of carbon can be sequestered. If all 3.5 billion tons of annual agricultural and forestry waste nationwide were fully converted via biological processes, it could generate additional carbon sinks exceeding 2 billion tons. Bio-based products generally achieve 50% to 70% greater energy efficiency and emission reductions compared to conventional petrochemical routes; if a 30% substitution rate is achieved in the chemical and materials sectors, cumulative CO₂ emissions could be reduced by more than 1.5 billion tons before 2030. Developing the agricultural biomanufacturing industry promotes deep integration between agriculture and the "dual carbon" goals, serving as a key pathway to advance green and low-carbon transformation in agriculture and support the realization of these targets.
(3) Developing agricultural biomanufacturing is a key measure to seize the commanding height of the future global agricultural industry. From the perspective of global industrial transformation trends, the new wave of technological revolution and industrial change is accelerating. As a strategic technology leading future industrial development, biomanufacturing has become a core arena in global industrial planning.
According to data from the McKinsey Global Institute, bio-based manufacturing products can cover 70% of global chemical manufacturing products. The OECD predicts that by 2030, biomanufacturing will account for 39% of the bioeconomy. Boston Consulting Group forecasts that by the end of the 21st century, biomanufacturing will be applied across one-third of global manufacturing, potentially generating $30 trillion in economic value.
The research, development, and industrial application of agricultural biomanufacturing technologies represent one of the core focal points in global future industry competition. Currently, countries such as the United States and the European Union are accelerating initiatives like "life foundries," "cell factories," and "enzyme design," aiming to build self-reliant and controllable end-to-end industrial systems. Against this backdrop, advancing the deployment of agricultural biomanufacturing directly impacts the international competitiveness of China's key industries—including energy, materials, feed, and food—and is crucial to securing China's strategic position and initiative within the future global agricultural bioeconomy landscape.
02
Objective assessment of the development trend of China's agricultural biomanufacturing industry
Judging from the existing development foundation of China's agricultural biomanufacturing industry, the sector as a whole is still in the early stages of transitioning from technological exploration to industrial application. Overall, the development trend is positive, primarily characterized by "four major trends."
(1) Technological research and development is thriving. China's agricultural biomanufacturing technology is currently in a dynamic phase characterized by breakthroughs across multiple fronts and leadership in certain areas. Focusing on core directions such as agricultural biomass conversion, key enzyme formulations, selection of core chassis organisms, development of bio-based products, and green production of agrochemicals, universities, research institutes, and enterprises have carried out extensive fundamental research and technological breakthroughs. Innovation across multiple fields has achieved phased progress, resulting in several disruptive original technologies. For example, the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a "cellulose-to-starch" technology based on multi-enzyme molecular machines, enabling highly efficient conversion of non-food biomass such as crop straw into starch (with a theoretical yield reaching 100%). Its derivative applications have broken Japan's monopoly on chiral drug chromatographic separation media. Meanwhile, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have utilized synthetic biology to construct yeast cell factories, achieving microbial synthesis of over 40 high-value plant natural products, including glycyrrhizin and liquiritin.
(2) Corporate participation has significantly increased. Enterprises are emerging as key drivers in the industrialization of agricultural biomanufacturing. Industry leaders continue to expand their R&D investments and industrial layouts, while innovation in industry-academia-research collaboration models accelerates. The role of enterprises as primary agents for technology transfer and industrial development is becoming increasingly prominent, resulting in the emergence of a number of leading companies with revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan and dozens of national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises. For example, Zhongke Kangyuan has adopted straw-based biosynthesis technology to produce feed protein, establishing a 200,000-ton-scale production line for converting agricultural straw into bio-protein feed, which can replace traditional feed ingredients such as soybean meal. Longdu Tianren has developed a two-step synthesis method for producing polylactic acid from straw, building a large-scale industrial facility capable of producing thousands of tons of biodegradable materials from agricultural biomass, enabling the large-scale transformation of agricultural waste into high-end bio-based materials. The capital market has also shown strong interest, with numerous innovative startups continuously emerging. As of early 2025, over 50 listed companies related to agricultural biomanufacturing were active in the A-share market, collectively boasting substantial market capitalization—demonstrating investors' confidence and growing engagement in this sector.
(3) Industrial foundation gradually expanding. China's agricultural biomanufacturing has developed significant scale advantages and a continuously expanding industrial base. Application scenarios are broadening, product categories are diversifying, and the industry covers end-use areas such as agricultural inputs, food, materials, and energy. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the scale of China's biomanufacturing industry reached 1.1 trillion yuan, with biofermentation products accounting for over 70% of global production.
In the bulk product sector, China's total production of feed amino acids reached 5.922 million tons in 2025, accounting for 73% of global output, while its vitamin production capacity represents approximately 80% of the world total. The industry's application scenarios have rapidly expanded beyond traditional feed additives and amino acids to include high-growth areas such as biopesticides (e.g., spinosad, glufosinate-ammonium), bio-based materials (e.g., PHA, PEF), alternative proteins (e.g., single-carbon microbial protein, insect protein), plant insulin (trehalose-6-phosphate), and biostimulants (e.g., chitin).
(4) Cross-domain integration is accelerating. There is a clear trend of interdisciplinary convergence among agricultural biotechnology, agricultural engineering, materials science, equipment manufacturing, and artificial intelligence, with increasing collaboration across fields and organizations. In terms of technological pathways, the integration of "AI + biotechnology + intelligent manufacturing" has become mainstream—such as using AI to design antimicrobial peptides and drive precision fermentation—while in vitro biotransformation (ivBT) platforms integrate enzyme engineering, chemical engineering, and automated control.
In the industrial ecosystem, an organized research model of "raw materials–technology–applications" has emerged. For instance, around the full-component biorefining of crop straw, a collaborative innovation consortium has formed—comprising upstream agricultural cooperatives and straw collection entities, midstream research institutes and leading bio-manufacturing enterprises, and downstream companies in feed, food packaging, and new materials. This cross-sector integration is giving rise to entirely new industrial forms and innovative paradigms.
03
Several Suggestions for Accelerating the Development of the Agricultural Biomanufacturing Industry
(1) Conduct research to establish a scientific classification for the agricultural biomanufacturing industry. Currently, the sector lacks a unified and widely accepted standard for classifying and defining agricultural bioproducts, resulting in ambiguous boundaries that directly affect industrial planning, policy formulation, and sector management. Therefore, it is essential to focus on identifying classification dimensions and core areas.
From the perspective of product development pathways, agricultural biomanufacturing encompasses three main routes: a product system in which agricultural biological resources are transformed through biomanufacturing technologies and industrial processing into new biofertilizers, biopesticides, feed, and other products that ultimately return to agriculture and support agricultural production; a product system in which agricultural biomass is converted via biomanufacturing into end-use products such as food and raw materials for industrial applications; and a service-based product system involving pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and related industries developed from agricultural biological resources using biotechnology.
From the perspectives of industrial scope and product types, the agricultural biomanufacturing industry should primarily include: new feed sources for ruminant and non-ruminant animals, bio-based chemicals and materials, core chassis cells and enzyme preparations, bioenergy, biopesticides, and biofertilizers. On the other hand, we consider agricultural biobreeding to be another dimension within the broader category of biomanufacturing; however, its technological pathway fundamentally differs from the previously mentioned "bio + industrial manufacturing" processes and should therefore be classified under the field of biological seed industries. In practical implementation, further in-depth research is needed to establish scientific classification standards and foundations for industry development.
(2) Focus on building a systematic innovation system for the national agricultural biomanufacturing industry. Leveraging the advantages of the new national system, aligning with the country's 15th Five-Year Plan for biomanufacturing development, we recommend that the state establish a major scientific and technological program on "agricultural biomanufacturing." This initiative should provide long-term, stable support to address critical bottlenecks such as fundamental technologies for biomass conversion, key enzyme preparations, core microbial strains, engineering equipment, and utilization of non-grain raw materials. It should explore new technologies to replace grain-based animal feed with straw-based feed and substitute imported soybeans with amino acids derived from straw, thereby releasing vast amounts of grain resources to support large-scale agricultural biomanufacturing. The integration of biotechnology with artificial intelligence should be advanced to build an independent and controllable core technology system. Led by the state, efforts should integrate industry, academia, and research institutions, coordinate research directions, avoid redundant investments, and establish a full-chain innovation framework covering basic research, applied research, and technology transfer.
(3) Accelerate the establishment of an agricultural biomanufacturing industry system driven by enterprises and integrating industry, academia, and research. The essence of agricultural biomanufacturing development lies in a systematic transformation of the agricultural sector, which requires leveraging the decisive role of the market and the leading mechanism of enterprises. It is recommended to introduce targeted policies to strengthen the innovation leadership of key enterprises, focus on cultivating several leading agricultural biomanufacturing companies with industrial scales exceeding 10 billion yuan, and support the formation of innovation consortia for agricultural biomanufacturing to ensure a complete chain from technology development to engineering and industrialization. Improve mechanisms for collaborative transformation among industry, academia, and research, shifting from "post-result conversion" to "pre-innovation collaboration," and build a number of general-purpose pilot-scale platforms offering end-to-end services to overcome bottlenecks in technology transfer. Establish a coordinated development framework involving large, medium, and small enterprises to address issues such as fragmented and scattered industries.
(4) Coordinate and plan the industrial layout for tiered and categorized collaborative development of agricultural biomanufacturing. Formulate a national special development plan for the agricultural biomanufacturing industry, establish a classified directory of the sector, clarify development goals, pathways, and key tasks for the next decade, determine priority sequences for sub-sector development, and guide resource allocation toward strategic and leading industries. Scientifically build a tiered and categorized industrial system, prioritize establishing pilot zones in regions rich in innovation resources, encourage differentiated regional layouts, and foster a nationwide coordinated yet distinctive development pattern. Develop national-level agricultural biomanufacturing industrial parks and technology innovation centers, and build integrated industrial clusters combining research and development, pilot production, industrialization, and application scenario services to enhance the level of intensive industrial development.
(5) Reform and improve comprehensive policy support for the agricultural biomanufacturing industry. Enhance certification, access, and industry supervision systems for agricultural biological products, and streamline market entry procedures. Innovate green subsidy and financial support policies by extending subsidies to research and application stages, and establish specialized industrial funds to broaden funding channels. Strengthen international cooperation and risk management mechanisms to promote technology exchange and technology introduction. Develop a low-carbon evaluation system for bio-based products and advance their inclusion in carbon trading markets. Strengthen interdisciplinary education and talent development. Increase public awareness through science communication to expand application scenarios. Reinforce scientific ethics and legal frameworks for agricultural biomanufacturing.
