Recently, during the 21st Foundation Day of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), the Union Agriculture Minister announced that the Plant Varieties Act, 2001 will be amended to address emerging needs of breeders and farmers.
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority
- The PPV&FRA is a statutory body created under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 and became functional on 11 November 2005.
- It operates under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, and is headquartered in New Delhi.
- The Authority was established to provide a legal framework that supports plant breeding innovation, while also ensuring that farmers’ traditional rights over seeds remain protected.
Objectives of the Authority
- To provide intellectual property rights to plant breeders who develop new or improved plant varieties.
- To acknowledge and reward farmers and traditional communities for conserving indigenous genetic resources.
- To safeguard farmers’ rights to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share, and sell farm-saved seeds of registered varieties (except branded seeds).
- To promote research, innovation, and development in plant breeding.
- To maintain the National Register of Plant Varieties (NRPV) and ensure documentation, conservation, and availability of valuable germplasm.
Structure of the Authority
- The Chairperson serves as the Authority’s Chief Executive.
- It consists of 15 members, notified by the Government of India.
- Eight are ex-officio members from different ministries and departments.
- Three represent State Governments and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs).
- Four nominated members represent farmers, tribal groups, the seed industry, and women’s organisations involved in agriculture.
- The Registrar General functions as the ex-officio Member Secretary.
Functions of the Authority
- Registration of new plant varieties, extant varieties, and essentially derived varieties (EDVs).
- Providing compulsory cataloguing facilities for all plant varieties.
- Conservation and preservation of plant genetic resources, including wild relatives of economic crops.
- Maintenance of the National Register of Plant Varieties.
- Overseeing the National Gene Bank for long-term storage of seeds and germplasm.
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