India’s Per Capita Protein Consumption to Triple by 2070

Important Facts for Examsmost asked

• Report by Asia Research and Engagement (ARE) with FICCI
• Protein consumption: 9.5 kg (2025) → 30 kg (2070) per capita per year
• BAU emissions 1.92 Gt CO₂e; climate-safe threshold 0.25 Gt CO₂e; combined approach 0.30 Gt CO₂e
• India imports about 90 per cent of processed plant-protein isolates
• Dairy and pulses to remain the main protein sources; red meat to stay small
• India is the world’s largest milk producer, about 24 per cent of global output
• Enteric fermentation in ruminants is the largest agricultural methane source
• Methane accounts for about 0.5°C of global warming and has a short atmospheric lifetime of about a decade
• Pulses fix atmospheric nitrogen, requiring far less fertiliser than animal protein systems
• Protein isolate — protein extracted and concentrated from a plant source such as soy or pea