ITC’s next phase of growth may not come from another biscuit, shampoo or cigarette brand. Instead, the company is using decades of expertise in agriculture, tobacco science and fibre technology to build new businesses in digital rural services, life sciences and sustainable materials, markets where the company has rarely been viewed as a major player. Together, they signal a shift from expanding consumer brands to creating capability-led businesses built around technology, science and industrial platforms.
ITC is building three new growth platforms in digital rural services, life sciences and sustainable materials as it looks beyond its traditional consumer businesses for long-term expansion, according to its FY2026 annual report.
The initiatives, spanning digital agriculture, pharmaceutical ingredients and fibre-based packaging materials, extend the company’s long-standing capabilities in agriculture, tobacco science and paper into new business-to-business markets, signalling where ITC sees its next phase of growth.
Digital rural services
The first platform is taking shape through ITCMAARS, the company’s digital agriculture ecosystem. The platform now connects more than 2.6 million farmers through more than 2,100 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across 11 states, with a target of reaching one crore farmers by 2030.
But ITCMAARS is evolving well beyond crop advisory. It combines AI-enabled advisory, market linkages, farm inputs, credit, drone services, traceability and demand-led sourcing, positioning it as a digital rural services platform rather than simply an agriculture initiative.
For ITC, the platform serves a dual purpose. It strengthens the company’s agricultural sourcing network while creating a scalable digital services business around advisory, finance, traceability, market access and farm mechanisation, effectively transforming its procurement ecosystem into a technology platform for rural India.
Life sciences
The second platform is emerging from one of ITC’s oldest businesses. Rather than selling tobacco alone, the company is increasingly commercialising decades of expertise in nicotine science. Through its subsidiary ITC IndiVision, it has established what it describes as India’s largest integrated manufacturing facility for pharmaceutical-grade nicotine and nicotine derivatives at Mysuru.
Used in nicotine replacement therapies and other specialised healthcare applications, the business turned EBITDA positive during FY2026 as commercial shipments gathered pace.
ITC is also expanding into botanical extracts and medicinal plants, signalling ambitions that extend beyond tobacco into life sciences, wellness and specialised ingredients for global markets.
Sustainable materials
The third platform is taking shape within ITC’s paperboards business. As governments and consumer goods companies seek alternatives to single-use plastics, ITC is developing recyclable barrier boards, moulded fibre products and fibre-based packaging materials for food service, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and consumer goods.
Its proposed acquisition of Century Pulp and Paper, together with the creation of ITC Fibre Innovations, is expected to expand manufacturing capacity as demand grows for sustainable packaging solutions driven by tighter environmental regulations and extended producer responsibility norms.
A different kind of diversification
Unlike ITC’s expansion into consumer brands over the past two decades, these businesses are largely business-to-business platforms built on digital capabilities, scientific research and advanced manufacturing. Rather than relying on new brands, they seek to monetise capabilities ITC has developed over decades in agriculture, tobacco research and fibre technology while opening opportunities in industries where the company has had little presence.