The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Authority has been established under PPV&FR Act, 2001 to grant Intellectual Property Rights to plant breeders, researchers and farmers who have developed plant varieties (new and extant). The PPV&FR Authority registers farmer’s varieties and also confers awards/rewards/recognitions to farming communities and farmers engaged in conservation of plant genetic resources. Farmers Variety registration A farmer also is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer who engaged in agriculture and bred, developed or rising crops or other livestock for a new variety shall be entitled for registration and other protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety. A farmer who is engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection and preservation shall be entitled in the prescribed manner for recognition and reward from the Gene Fund. Provided that material so selected and preserved has been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable. Community Conserves and preserves, severally or jointly, with any person any wild species or traditional varieties, or adds value to such wild species or traditional varieties through selection and identification of their useful properties. What can you do ? Application Form Application Fee Requirement Application Category Benefits Registrations of Farmer variety forms are available in English and Hindi at https://plantauthority.gov.in/application-forms NIL Submit Seeds or propagating material of the variety being registered to the PPV&FRA New / Extant Farmer Variety Legal rights after registration of varieties.Benefit sharingCompensation for the farmersCompulsory licensing What you will get ? Legal rights after registration of varieties. It is considered necessary to recognize and protect the rights of the farmers in respect of their contribution made at any time in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources for the development of new plant varieties To accelerate agricultural development in the country, it is necessary to protect plant breeders’ rights to stimulate investment for research and development, both in the public and private sector, for the development of new plant varieties. Benefit sharing If any organization, private company or anybody uses the Farmer variety for production, development or breeding purposes, then the farmers has to get the benefit by being paid some percentage of the profit. The Authority will decide the percentage or amount to be paid to the farmer. Compensation for the farmers If any registered variety fails to provide performance under given conditions, the farmer or the group of farmers or the organization of farmers, as the case may be, may claim compensation in the prescribed manner before the Authority. Compulsory licensing Ensuring that seeds of the varieties registered under this Act are easily available to the farmers. If the breeder of registered varieties fails to produce sufficient quantity of the variety at reasonable price, the farmer can ask for compulsory license to third party. Plant Genome Saviour (PGS) Award Type of awards Application form Eligibility Requirement Amount in Rs. (lakh) No of awards PGS Community Awards Application Form: https://plantauthority.gov.in/functions-awards Chairperson/Secretary of the concerned Panchayat, Biodiversity Management Committee or concerned District Agricultural Officer or Director of Research of concerned Central/State Agriculture University or concerned District Tribal Development Office. However, in case of applications for Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards it can also be forwarded through concerned Zonal Project Director, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (Now Director- Agriculture Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI)- ICAR with official seal.. : A community of farmers who are engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection and preservation and the material so selected and preserved has been shared for varietal improvement. Shortlisted farmers has to deposit specific quantity of seeds or propagating material to the Authority 10 5 PGS Rewards Farmers application engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection and preservation and the material so selected and preserved has been used as donors of genes in varieties registerable under the PPVFR Act, 2001 Shortlisted farmers has to deposit specific quantity of seeds or propagating material to the Authority 1.5 10 PGS Recognitions Same as mentioned in the PGS rewards Shortlisted farmers has to deposit specific quantity of seeds or propagating material to the Authority 1 20 Source: Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority