India is taking large strides in the domain of plant variety protection and seed conservation. A commendable total of 1597 farmers’ varieties have been successfully registered with the ‘Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority’. Alongside this, the Authority has also issued certificates of registration to these entities.
India’s Seed Bank Establishment
In an effort to safeguard biodiversity and promote genetic diversity, India established a national seed storage facility in 2010. This facility is based at Chang La in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir. The construction of this facility was carried out collectively by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR). Both of these organizations are under the guidance of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The seed bank currently contains more than 5,000 seed accessions. Each of these accessions comprises of seeds from a specific species that have been gathered from diverse geographical and demographic locations.
About ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)
The ICAR-NBPGR is the primary organization responsible for managing plant genetic resources in India. The Bureau functions under the jurisdiction of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Among its many roles, the NBPGR preserves seed germplasm for long-term conservation in its National Genebank (NGB) at -20°C. Other responsibilities include conducting and supervising exploration and collection of both indigenous and exotic plant genetic resources.
Interesting Facts about NBPGR
| NBPGR’s Year of Establishment | |
|---|---|
| Main Roles | Conservation of plant genetic resources and coordinating their exploration and collection |
| National Genebank’s Function | Long-term conservation of seed germplasm at -20°C |
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority
This statutory body was created under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 (PPV&FR Act). It is responsible for establishing a sound system for protecting plant varieties along with the rights of farmers and plant breeders. The Authority also promotes the development of new plant varieties, recognizing and safeguarding farmers’ contributions in conserving, improving, and making available plant genetic resources for the development of fresh plant varieties.
Objectives and Functions of the PPV&FR Act, 2001
The PPV&FR Act, 2001 was introduced to fulfill India’s obligation towards the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) of the World Trade Organization. Moreover, this act also aims to stimulate investment in Research and Development for creating new plant varieties. This, in turn, is expected to boost the growth of the seed industry, thereby ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds to farmers. As per section 39 of the Act, farmers are permitted to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share, and even sell farm produce including the seed of a protected variety. However, they cannot brand or package it for sale.
Source: PIB
