1. A regional workshop on Farmer’s Rights and Agro-biodiversity exhibition was organized on 14th December, 2017 by PPV&FRA in association with Assam Agricultural University, Kahikuchi, Guwahati.
A regional workshop on Farmer’s Rights and Agro-biodiversity exhibition was organized on 14th December, 2017 by PPV&FRA in association with Assam Agricultural University, Kahikuchi, Guwahati. The exhibition and workshop was inaugurated by Sh. K.K. Mitial, Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commissioner, Govt. of Assam. The meeting was attended by more than 800 farmers from different parts of North Eastern states. A stall of PPV&FR Authority was displayed with posters and publications of the Authority. About 100 applications forms were distributed to the farmers and KVKs for filing of applications of farmers varieties displayed at the stalls.
Dr. R.C. Agrawal, Registrar General, along with other staff of PPV&FR Authority visited the PPV&FR Guwahati Branch Office, Guwahati on 14th December, 2017 and reviewed the functioning of Branch Office ant took stock of the infrastructure and made valuable suggestion and provided guidance for future working.
A meeting on use of Hindi in official communications was also chaired by Dr. R.C. Agrawal, Registrar General and valuable suggestions were provided to increase use of Hindi in official communications.
2. Twelfth DUS Review meeting was held at ICAR-IISR, Lucknow during 15th-17th January, 2018
Twelfth DUS Review meeting was held at ICAR-IISR, Lucknow during Jan 15-17, 2018 which was attended by approx. hundred Scientists including Directors from several Institutes (IIVR, IISR, CISH, NRC Litchi), Nodal/Co-Nodal officers from DUS centres at ICAR/SAUs/CSIR/MoEF institutes. During the Inaugural session, Dr B Rajender Chairperson, PPV&FRA was the Chief Guest along with other dignitaries. A Special workshop on Farmers' Rights and display of regional agro-biodiversity was documented in several stalls organised by local KVKs, ICAR Institutes like CISH, IISR, CTCRI RC etc. Nearly 300 farmers were also participated and were appraised of the Framers' Rights.
During these three days, 10 technical sessions were held to review the technical and financial progress of DUS centers in different crops/groups (e.g., Cereals, Horticulture, Commercial etc) and projects along with a special session to review the financial status and recommendations of the meeting. Each of these sessions were chaired by Experts whereas presentations were made by different Scientists and deliberations were held on various issues related to DUS.
3. Regional Workshop and Agro-biodiversity Exhibition was organized on 15th January 2018 at Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research Institute, Lucknow
The regional workshop and Agro-biodiversity exhibition was organized at IISR, Lucknow on 15th January, 2018 wherein more than 400 farmers participated in the programme. Several exhibition stalls were installed and exhibited huge collection of crop diversity representing different regions.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr.B.Rajender, Joint Secretary (Seeds) and Chairperson of PPV&FRA (I/c) and Registrar General, Dr. R.C. Agrawal and Director of IISR, Dr.A.D.Pathakwere also present during the workshop. Officers of PPV&FRA delivered lectures on mainstreaming of Farmers Varieties. In addition, several farmers shared their experiences.
Dr.R.C.Agrawal, Registrar-General explained the importance of traditional varieties conserved by farmers and the importance of protecting those varieties under PPV&FR Act. He urged the farmers to come forward to register their varieties.
4. Regional workshop and Agro-biodiversity Exhibition” was organized on 27th January, 2018 at PJTSAU, Hyderabad
The programme was jointly organized by Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Authority, Government of India, New Delhi in association with PJTSAU, Hyderabad and ICAR - Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) - Zone X (Hyderabad) and Zone – XI (Bengaluru) with an objective to sensitize the farmers / breeders to recognize the importance of farmers’ varieties, their registration and mainstreaming for further utilization in breeding programme and conservation of agro-biodiversity.
Around 450 farmers from five southern states i.e., Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, 170 scientists from various ICAR institutes, PJTSAU and KVK’s from different southern states and 50 PG students of University have participated in the workshop. Several sessions were conducted during the workshop covering various aspects relating to registration of varieties and conserving agro biodiversity. A separate session for Plant Genome Savior Awardees and other farmers was organized wherein the farmers from various states have expressed their views, shared their experiences & clarified their doubts with regard to the Act.
Smt. Anjamma from Gangwar village, Zaheerabadmandal, Medak district of Telangana, who is the recipient of PlantGenome Savior Farmer Reward in 2015 shared her experience regarding cultivation of diversified crops and sharing of farm saved seed of all the crops to the neighbouring farmers.
Dr. R.C. Agarwal, Registrar-General, PPV&FRA remarked on the following issues that emerged during the technical deliberations.
- Views expressed by the farmers and other stakeholders in the workshop will be compiled
- The present prize money given to KVK’s will be revised
- The Authority is persuing the issues of benefit sharing, claim compensation and also misuse of farmers’ varieties.
- The Authority will take clarification from DDG (Crop Sciences / Horticulture) regarding registration of varieties with PPV&FR Authority at AVT - II stage of evaluation
- The Authority is also taking initiative steps to reduce the registration fee from
2000/- to 500/-
At the end, he once again urged the farming community to hasten up the registration process as the dead line for registration of farmers’ varieties and extant varieties is 2020.
5. International workshop on “India-EU collaboration in Seed Sector development and PVP” held from 22nd -23rd February 2018 at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi
International workshop on “India-EU collaboration in Seed Sector development and PVP” held from 22-23 February 2018 at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. It was jointly organised by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GOI) and with the support from The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, The Netherlands. Representatives from Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, ICAR, SAUs’, National Horticulture Board, Agriculture Councillors of Embassies in India, in addition to representatives from seed industries, attorneys’, legal advisors from India, Switzerland, and other stakeholders also actively participated in the workshop.
The workshop created a forum of interactions between plant breeders, seed associations and PVP offices for EU and India. Discussions by various delegates were focussed on strengthening skills and knowledge of the Plant Variety Rights legislation in EU-CPVO, India and UPOV in addition to different systems for registration of varieties followed in EU and India. The workshop also focussed on how to build a framework on Convention country arrangements for mutual recognition of PVP with the member countries at EU with India.
The workshop created a platform to strengthen information sharing network amongst EU and PPV&FRA. During two days meeting, several sessions to discuss about legal issues, vision and ambitions of farmers’ association and breeders’ association in India and EU were deliberated. The workshop was successfully completed by exchanging several informative ideas regarding plant variety protection.
6. The “National Seminar on Farmers Rights and Agro-biodiversity Exhibition” was held on 23rd February, 2018 at Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
The “National Seminar on Farmers Rights and Agro-biodiversity Exhibition” was held on 23rd February, 2018 at Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The seminar was inaugurated by Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India.
Nearly five thousand farmers, farm women, extension workers and development functionaries from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and many other states participated in the Seminar. Various ICAR institutes dealing with different Agri-horticultural crops, State Agricultural Universities, developmental agencies from public and private sectors, Banks and NGOs also participated and displayed their latest technologies/products in the form of live specimens, charts, photograph etc. in the National Exhibition.
7. The “National Seminar on Farmers Rights and Agro-biodiversity Exhibition” which was held on 26th and 27th February, 2018 at Deendayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot, Satna, Madhya Pradesh
The PPV&FRA organized a “National Seminar and Agro-Biodiversity Exhibition” at Deendayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot on 26th February, 2018. The progarmme was inaugurated by Dr. T. Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR and Secretary DARE, New Delhi and it was attended by Dr. Naresh Chandra Gautam, Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi ChitrakootGramodyaVishwavidalayaChitrakoot, Dr. K. V. Prabhu, Chairperson PPV&FRA, New Delhi, Sh. VirandraJeet Singh, Chairman, DeenDayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot, Sh. Atul Jain, Joint Secretary, DeenDayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot, Dr. R. C. Agrawal, Registrar-General, PPV&FR Authority, New Delhi and Dr. Ravi Prakash, Registrar, PPV&FR Authority, New Delhi.
During inaugural Sh. Ganesh Singh Hon’ble MP, Satna Constituency, Madhya Pradesh appreciated the activities of PPV&FRA and also about the exhibition. Director General, ICAR explained the importance of registration of farmers varieties in the Authority. Dr.K.V. Prabhu, Chairperson, PPV&FRA spoke about the importance of conservation of the farmers variety and benefits sharing.
Sh. Atul Jain, Joint Secretary, DeenDayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot presented a detailed progress about the DeenDayal research Institute and activities undertaken in the Institute.
Dr. R. C. Agrawal, Registrar General, PPV&FRA addressed the gathering in detail about the authority and its future road map. Dr. Ravi Prakash, Registrar delivered a lecture on farmers rights.
8. Regional Workshop and Plant Variety Diversity Exhibition on 27th March, 2018 atNavsari Agriculture University, Navsari
“Regional Workshop and Plant Variety Diversity Exhibition” was organized on 27th March, 2018 at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari which was inaugurated by Dr. K. V. Prabhu, Chairperson, PPV&FRA and presided over by Dr. S. R. Choudhary, Director of Research & Dean Studies, Navsari Agriculture University. Dr. G.R. Patel, Additional Director Research, Director Extension Education, Project Coordinator of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Navsari Agriculture University were also present. There were more than 500 farmers present during the workshop.
During the workshop, 24 stalls by KVKs of the University were exhibited and some of the new varieties of stevia and suratponk were also exhibited. In addition to these varieties, Chairperson urged to register sorghum cultivars with PPV&FRA. Similarly some of the vegetable cultivars such as Indian beans, sponge gourd are also required to be registered with PPV&FRA.
Dr. K. V. Prabhu, Chairperson in his inaugural address requested the audience to register their variety with PPV&FRA for legal right and farmers benefits sharing of the variety developed/conserved by the farmers for several years. The chairperson appreciated the presence of 100% women participants who were keen to know about the activities of PPV&FRA.
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