Seeds Industry Bats for Strong IPR Enforcement to Ensure Food Security
06 September 2024, Hyderabad: The Indian seeds industry has advocated for intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in the sector, terming it a key factor in agricultural growth. “A robust seed industry, backed by effective IPR enforcement, is crucial for addressing persisting challenges in agriculture and food security. Enforcing IPR in seeds is crucial for protecting innovation, attracting investment in research and development, enabling technology transfer and ensuring quality and safety for seeds. This approach will create a conducive environment for sector growth, benefiting farmers and consumers while driving economic development,” industry experts said at a conference in Hyderabad today.
Addressing the conference “Enforcement of IPR in Seeds”, organised by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) in association with Government of Telangana and Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), experts stressed that India’s agriculture sector is undergoing a rapid transformation, fueled by the accelerated adoption of innovation and technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent launch of 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient, and biofortified seeds represents a significant leap forward for the country’s agriculture. Strong IPR enforcement in seeds will further catalyze this progress and will nurture a robust environment for sustainable agricultural growth.
Stressing the need for IPR enforcement in seeds, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson, PPVFRA and former Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and former Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said, “High-performing seed varieties, developed through intensive research, have significantly boosted agricultural production and economic growth since the mid-20th century. Plant breeding is costly and time-consuming, necessitating strong potential returns to sustain efforts. An effective plant variety protection system is essential to encourage the development of new varieties for societal benefit. Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in seeds aims to boost innovation by protecting inventors’ exclusive rights to their discoveries.”
By 2050, India’s population is expected to reach 1.7 billion, increasing the demand for 400 million tonnes of food grains. To meet this challenge, a robust seed industry is essential. Strong IPR enforcement protects the interests of plant breeders, the seed industry and farmers, creating an environment where innovation thrives and agricultural productivity grows. This approach not only attracts investments in research and development but also ensures sustainable growth and food security for the nation.
A 2015 joint study by CropLife International and EuropaBio highlights that IPR is crucial for promoting innovation, allowing innovators to recover their investments and finance further in research and development. Innovative crops have revolutionized farming, driving long-term productivity and sustainability in agriculture. Hybrid seeds, in particular, have significantly boosted agricultural productivity, contributing an estimated EUR75 billion to global farm incomes from 2000 to 2012. IPR enforcement provides momentum to this transformative growth.
Highlighting the need for law enforcement at the grassroots level, Ram Kaundinya, Advisor, FSII, said, “What is the intellectual property of seed and biotechnology, how to identify it and how to register cases needs to be understood by law enforcement authorities and judiciary at the district level. Only then can infringement of IP, stealing of parent seeds, and illegal production of unapproved GM seeds be understood at the grassroots level. States which implement such enforcement mechanisms will have a competitive advantage in attracting seed research investments and seed production contracts from the seed and biotech industry. Hopefully, today’s programme will help in creating that awareness and capacity.”
Speaking on the challenges in front of IPR enforcement in the seed value chain, Raghavan Sampathkumar, Executive Director, FSII said, “IPR enforcement in seeds in India faces several challenges due to the complex nature of the agricultural industry and the country’s socio-economic realities. Many farmers, especially small and marginal ones, are unaware of IPR laws related to seeds, leading to unintentional infringement of IPR.”
“Weak IPR enforcement mechanisms, balancing farmers’ and breeders’ rights and lengthy judicial procedures are the biggest challenges persisting in front of IPR enforcement in seeds. A balanced approach that recognizes the rights of both farmers and breeders, strengthens enforcement mechanisms, leverages technologies like blockchain for tracing, judicial reforms and encourages dialogue between seed companies, farmers, government agencies and civil society will be key to overcoming the challenges in IPR enforcement in India’s seed sector,” Sampathkumar added.
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