India’s plant-based protein ingredient market is projected to double to Rs 9,000 crore in the next five years, with consumers’ preference shifting from calorie-conscious food to targeted nutrition, industry body PBFIA said on Thursday.
“The country is witnessing a clear shift from calorie-consciousness to nutritional consciousness, with protein emerging as a key driver of food choices. The plant-based food sector is growing at around 18 per cent annually, significantly ahead of the 7-8 per cent global growth rate, while the plant-protein ingredients market is currently valued at approximately Rs 4,500 crore and is expected to double over the next five years,” PBFIA executive director Praveer Srivastava said at ‘Fi India and ProPak India 2026’.
However, nearly 90 per cent of plant-protein ingredients are currently imported, he said, adding that this offers a huge opportunity for domestic manufacturers.
Beyond nutrition, plant-based foods can play an important role in building more sustainable food systems, particularly as India works towards its net-zero carbon emission target for 2070, he said.
“With plant-based protein identified as one of the growth engines by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, greater policy support can help build domestic capabilities and reduce import dependence. This is especially important for a capital-intensive industry, where setting up an ingredient-extraction facility with a capacity of around 10-15 tonnes per day can entail a minimum investment of Rs 200-250 crore,” he said.
With India’s abundant raw-material base, strengthening the domestic ecosystem can drive import substitution, attract investment and eventually position the country as a global supplier of plant-based food and ingredients, he added.
Prabodh Halde, Head-Technical Regulatory Affairs, Marico Ltd, and West Zone Chairman of All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA), stated that India’s food ingredients and additives market has grown into a significant domestic opportunity, currently valued at around Rs 85,000 crore, with natural ingredients, including nutraceuticals, accounting for an estimated 30-35 per cent and growing at a double-digit pace.
The next phase of growth, however, must focus on greater value addition, stronger exports and closer integration across farmers, processors, research institutions and the industry, he said.
Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA) Secretary General Kaushik Desai said, with India’s abundant agricultural resources and growing domestic demand for healthier and natural products, strengthening processing and innovation capabilities can create greater value for farmers, expand exports and make food ingredients and processing an important engine of India’s economic growth.
“India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for health ingredients by combining Ayurveda with modern science. Achieving this will require greater collaboration across industry, regulators and research institutions, backed by scientific rigour, regulatory compliance, quality, sustainability and consumer trust,” he added.
