India, Sept. 9 -- India's average annual per-capita protein consumption is set to more than triple by 2070, rising from 9.5 kilogrammes in 2025 to 30 kg, as rising incomes, urbanisation, population growth and changing dietary preferences reshape the country's food system, according to a new report.

But India's protein transition is unlikely to resemble the meat-reduction debates playing out in Europe and the United States, as the country is starting from a fundamentally different point: its animal agriculture is still largely smallholder-run rather than industrial, and its future protein demand is expected to remain anchored in dairy and pulses, alongside significant growth in eggs, poultry and seafood, while red meat plays only a minor ...