Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority

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About the authority-

• The objective  is to protect the rights of Kerala farming communities over the traditional plant varieties.
• Any person, group of persons or any governmental or non-governmental organization can file the claim for compensation on behalf of those communities who have contributed significantly in the evolution of any registered plant variety. 
• If any farmer or farmers cluster in Kerala have a claim on contribution in the evolution of any registered variety, they can approach Kerala Agricultural University.
• Kerala Agricultural University will verify the claims relating to field crops, fruits, vegetables, trees, spices, flower crops and plantation crops in the State and report to PPV and FR Authority and no fee will be claimed from the farmer or farming communities for such claim. 
• The move is expected to boost the efforts to protect the State’s traditional plant varieties and prevent bio-piracy.
• Among the policy interventions to aid agricultural development, the enactment of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act 2001, which ensured the legal protection of intellectual property rights in the agricultural sector, including that of farmers. 
• The protection ensured the commercial possibilities of innovations not only for the private sector but also for the public sector and the farmers.
• The law ensures the farmer’s rights as a conserver of traditional varieties apart from that as a developer of new varieties.

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