Planting the seeds of change

A draft law, planned amendments to an Act, and a global treaty under negotiation. These dynamics are converging to reshape how plant and seed varieties are regulated, protected, and shared in India

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

The over-%35,000 crore Indian seed sector could be in for some interesting times, thanks to three developments that could fundamentally alter the governance and functioning of an industry that is key to sustaining life.

The first development is a new Seeds Bill, whose draft was released by the central government for public comments earlier this month. It seeks to replace the Seeds Act of 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order of 1983.

Legislation on seeds was last modified back in the 1960s, and while there have been several attempts since then to make tangible changes, none has taken hold.

The second major change comes from proposed amendments to the Act governing the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority (PPVFRA) — a body under the agriculture ministry. This piece of legislation draws up a framework to protect the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of new plant varieties and the rights of farmers.

The government has appointed a high-powered panel to propose some changes to the Act. The panel recently held a series of meetings with all stakeholders. Registration of plant varieties with PPVFRA is voluntary and not mandatory for any developer, a position that reportedly remains untouched in the proposed amendments.

Separately, global negotiations started in Lima, Peru, on November 25 to expand the list of crops that are covered by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) otherwise known simply as the ‘Plant Treaty’.

ITPGRFA is a legally binding global treaty adopted in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and came into force in 2004. Its stated objectives are conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGREA).