Plant Breeders’ Rights Project in India
1 November 2011
Until mid 2012 Naktuinbouw, together with Plantum NL, will support the government of India in the further development of the Plant Breeders’ Rights system.
The project is funded by NL Agency. India has had Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation since 2001. This legislation regulates a number of general principles of variety protection. It takes into account the interests of breeding companies and the often small-scale farmers. However, the legislation does not meet the generally accepted UPOV legislation pertaining to Plant Breeders’ Rights. For this reason, international breeding companies are reticent to introduce varieties in India.
Market
India, with a population of 1.2 billion inhabitants and immense agricultural production, is a potentially important nation for Dutch companies regarding the supply of good propagating material for vegetable crops, floricultural crops and seed potatoes. However, entering this market with new varieties under current Indian legislation holds only limited appeal for international companies.
Aim of the project
In the project, Naktuinbouw and Plantum NL cooperate with the Indian Plant Breeders’ Rights authority. The objective is to create cooperation and exchange of experiences. The procedures in India will be examined and compared with the procedures in Europe. A visit to the Netherlands is one of the ways that the importance of Plant Breeders’ Rights for the development of agriculture and horticulture will be demonstrated to the higher management of the Ministry. Technical training will also be given at the DUS testing stations in India.
Initial activities
In May, a delegation from the Ministry of EL&I, Plantum NL and Naktuinbouw travelled to India visiting the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, the DUS stations and a number of companies. A plan of activities was subsequently drawn up. This autumn a group of highly placed delegates from India will visit the Netherlands to study the Plant Breeders’ Rights system. During this visit, the procedures in India will be explained to Dutch companies. A seminar in India is planned for autumn 2011 and the technical training will be this winter.
