The Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, recently announced plans to amend the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPV&FRA). Established in 2001, this law safeguards the rights of farmers while creating a framework for intellectual property related to new plant varieties. The Act grants breeders exclusive rights over their developed varieties but ensures that farmers maintain their traditional rights to save, use, exchange, and sell seeds.
The proposed amendments seek to balance innovative breeding with conserving traditional seeds. A committee led by agricultural scientist R.S. Paroda has been formed to engage with farmers, civil society, industry, and researchers on these amendments. This committee aims to address current challenges, technological advances, and the evolving needs of farmers.
Discussions around the amendments have highlighted several important themes. There is a consideration to revise the definition of "variety" to align with the draft Seeds Bill 2019, and expand the definition of "seed" to include various vegetative propagations. Clarifying the term "breeder" to cover both public and private entities is also on the agenda.
An important aspect of these discussions is the potential reforms to the DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) test, which is essential for obtaining Plant Variety Protection. The test ensures that a variety is distinct, uniform, and stable over generations.
Farmer groups have emphasized the need for community-developed seeds to be registered collectively, rather than under individual or company names, to prevent monopolization. Concerns about the misuse of DUS testing, as seen in cases like the njavara paddy, have also been raised.
Policy analysts have warned against the risk of small farmers being excluded from intellectual property frameworks and advocated for keeping local varieties in open-source systems. There is a global movement to resist the pressure on developing nations to adopt UPOV-style regimes that favor private ownership.
While the PPV&FRA Act holds breeders accountable for non-performing seeds, experts have pointed out the lack of clear criteria for farmer compensation, which undermines protection efforts.
Stakeholders have highlighted the importance of upcoming plant treaty negotiations in Peru, focusing on the Multilateral System (MLS) for access and benefit-sharing. Key concerns include conservation, equitable sharing of benefits, and safeguarding farmers' rights within global governance frameworks.
Kutos : AI Assistant!
