Amendments to the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPV&FRA Act)

The Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, announced forthcoming amendments to the PPV&FRA Act, emphasizing both the promotion of new high-yielding varieties and the preservation of traditional seeds. A committee led by R.S. Paroda has begun consultations with stakeholders on these amendments. 

Consultation Process

• The committee will: 
  • Conduct detailed consultations with stakeholders.
  • Submit a report with amendment recommendations to the PPVFRA.
• Consultations began in the last week of October involving farmers' organizations and industry representatives.
• The committee's objective includes reviewing the Act to address deficiencies and adapt to current challenges.

Proposed Amendments

• Potential changes to the definition of "variety needs" to include "combination of genotypes".
• Expansion of the definition of "seed" to include various propagated materials.
• Defining "institution" to cover public and private breeders.
• Discussions on the Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) test and its guidelines.
• Debate on defining "abusive act" to prevent misuse in seed marketing and sales.

Stakeholder Concerns

• Experts emphasized community control over seeds and preventing monopolization by private entities.
• Concerns about the misuse of DUS tests, exemplified by the njavara paddy seed case.

Legal and Policy Considerations

• Experts highlighted the disconnect between small farmers and the intellectual property framework.
• Advocated for open-source seed systems to protect local varieties from private rights claims.
• Discussion on accountability for non-performance of IP-protected materials and the need for detailed compensation rules.
• Consideration of international negotiations affecting domestic laws and seed conservation practices.