Examining strategies of firms leveraging agricultural biotechnology in Indian seed industry: A qualitative case study approach

The present study draws its roots from the literature on management of emerging technologies, and theories on corporate and technology strategies of firms presented with technological change. The purpose of this study is to examine technology strategies of firms in the context of Indian seed industry, leveraging agribiotechnology as an emerging technology. In the process, we will be able to identify strategic choices made by firms in the Indian seed industry. Technology generator firms exploit advances in agribiotechnology for plant breeding research, while technology follower firms sustain with existing seed and plant breeding technologies and markets. This study is of significance because, at present, the Indian seed industry has an interesting mix of such firms vying for market share. The research methodology is qualitative in approach, and involves multiple case study analyses of select firms from the Indian seed industry, with different sizes, and at different stages in the adoption of agribiotechnology. In-depth interviews are conducted with key decision makers from these organizations to investigate how strategies of technology generators differ from those of technology followers and technology utilizers. We use qualitative data analysis for interpreting the findings from case analysis. The initial findings of this on-going study indicate that technology generators are typically foreign multinationals involved in trait development. In this case, agribiotechnology is central to the corporate and technology strategy of these firms. Tech generator firms rely on the model of technology licensing with seed companies followed by a steady stream of royalty payments. Firms characterized as technology followers are usually major domestic seed companies with capabilities in germplasm and plant varietal development. Tech followers' license-in technology from tech generator firms to incorporate traits into their germplasm for value added crop development. These firms are still in the initial stages of technology adoption due to lack of infrastructure and research capabilities. Technology utilizers, on the other hand, focus on downstream functions such as seed production, distribution, marketing and retail activities of the seed business value chain. Their role is limited to distributors for firms belonging to tech generator and follower categories. Regulatory uncertainties and inconsistent policy environment within India also play a major role in the adoption of agribiotechnology by domestic companies, given that R&D and capacity building investments are contingent upon such macroeconomic factors. Limited scholarly inquiry has been dedicated toward strategic management of emerging technologies in developing countries. Findings from this study would make for a valuable contribution to the literature on technology management.