Question raised in Lok Sabha on Intellectual Property Rights in Agriculture, 26/04/2016
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Intellectual Property Rights in Agriculture, 26/04/2016. Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) has taken the following necessary steps to implement Intellectual Property Rights in agriculture to protect the rights of farmers, plant breeders and researchers:- Established Plant Variety Registry, National Gene Bank and Field Gene Banks. Developed network of Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing centres at the institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)/ Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs). Developed database software relating to Indian Information System as per DUS guidelines (IINDUS) and Notified & Released Varieties of India (NORV). 107 crops / species have been notified for registration of plant varieties including new, extant, variety of common knowledge and farmers’ varieties. 2068 certificates of registration have been issued. Authority confers Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards, rewards and recognition to the farmer /farming/tribal and rural communities for their commendable role in the conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in areas identified as agro-biodiversity hotspots.