Plant Treaty

Plant Treaty : Recently, concerns have intensified across India over proposed changes to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), known as Plant Treaty. Farmer groups, seed custodians, and biodiversity advocates fear the move could weaken protections for traditional seed systems and open access to multinational corporations.

• Key Highlights : New system allows two access models: Subscription model: Fixed fee for broad access and Single-access model: Pay only upon commercialization.

  o Critics say this gives corporations flexibility to avoid fair compensation.

  o Raises concern over loss of control over India’s digital genetic resources.

  o Experts argue reforms could erode farmers’ ability to save, breed, and share seeds.

  o Could violate India’s Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Act,, Biodiversity Act, and Article 9 of the Plant Treaty on farmers’ rights.

  • About ITPGRFA : Adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2001, during its 31st session.

  o Signed in Madrid in 2001 and entered into force in 2004.

  o It is the first legally-binding international treaty to formally recognize the vital role of indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers as traditional custodians of global food crop diversity.

  o Objectives : Acknowledge the significant contribution of farmers to the genetic diversity of food crops.

  - Establish a global system to facilitate access to plant genetic materials for farmers, plant breeders, and scientists.

  - Ensure equitable benefit-sharing with countries of origin when these genetic materials are used.