INDIA SIGNS TREATY ON PLANT
GENETIC RESOURCES
India has signed the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
The Treaty was signed by the Union Agriculture Minister, Shri
Ajit Singh at the World Food Summit at Rome on Monday, paving
way for India’s ratification of the International Treaty. The
Treaty will facilitate conservation and sustainable use of plant
genetic resources of food and agriculture and fair and equitable
sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, for sustainable
development of agriculture and food security.
Access to plant
genetic resources for creating new plant varieties is to be ensured
all over the world through this Treaty. The developing nations
which are gene rich but economically poor will get adequate compensation
through fair and equitable share of benefits arising out of the
use of plant genetic resources which have been conserved by the
farmers over centuries. The "Farmers’ Rights" concept will help
in global recognition of the important role-played by farmers
in crop improvement activities.
In
tune with the concept enshrined in the Treaty, the Indian legislation
on Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights, recognises
and protects the rights of the farmers for their contributions
in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources
for the development of new plant varieties. Keeping in line with
the concept of benefit sharing as provided in the Treaty, the
Indian legislation has created a corpus fund called National Gene
Fund, for conservation and development of plant genetic resources
and operationalising the benefit sharing arrangements.
Since
there is an inter-dependence amongst nations for plant genetic
resources for crop improvement activities, it is advantageous
to have a multilateral system for facilitated access to plant
genetic resources. With the ratification of the Treaty, India
will not have to negotiate bilateral arrangements with different
nations for exchange of plant genetic resources.
The
Treaty, adopted by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
of the United Nations in its 31st Session held at Rome
in November, 2001, acknowledges that the conservation, exploration,
collection, characterization, evaluation and documentation of
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture are essential
in meeting the goals of World Food Security and for sustainable
development of agriculture for the present and future generations.
It also acknowledges that plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture are the raw material indispensable for crop genetic
improvement.
The
Treaty establishes the Multilaterial System for the facilitated
access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. This
Multilateral System pre-supposes a fair and equitable benefit
sharing arrangement. Particularly, from the point of view of gene
rich countries, sharing of benefits arising from the use of plant
genetic resources accessed from such gene pools in essential for
the sustenance of the Multilateral System. India has constantly
emphasized the importance of an effective benefit sharing arrangement
and funding strategy, which finally, formed an integral part of
this treaty. It recognizes the enormous contribution that the
local and indigenous communities and farmers of all regions of
the world, particularly, those in the centers of origin and crop
diversity, have made and will continue to make for the conservation
and development of plant genetic resources, which constitute the
basis of food and agriculture production throughout the world.
India’s
role, in reaching a compromise on important issues like farmers’
Rights, coverage of Crops in the Multilateral system, Intellectual
Property Rights on material accessed from the Multilatweral System,
Benefit Sharing Arrangements etc. has been widely appreciated.
With support from developing nations, India played a vital role
in finalizing the article on Farmers’ Rights, one of the important
components of the Treaty..
