A sensitization workshop on Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights (PPV & FR) was organized by ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata in collaboration with PPV & FRA, New Delhi at Farmers’ Training Centre, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal on 10.12.2015 to sensitize 40 selected KVKs and other KVKs of this zone about the importance of protection of plant varieties and farmers’ rights. The programme started with an introductory remark regarding achievements of KVKs of this zone in the last two years pertaining to identification and registration of farmers’ indigenous crop varieties. It was also highlighted that with various opportunities created by PPV&FRA, New Delhi, the KVKs should make the farmers aware to take benefit both in terms of monetary gain (award) and registration of crop varieties in the name of farmers/group of farmers. The technical session started with a short video film where almost all the aspect of plant protection varieties and farmers’ rights was narrated in common Hindi language. This was followed by presentation of Shri U.K. Dubey, Deputy Registrar, PPV&FRA Ranchi centre, Jharkhand. Shri Dubey elaborately described the farmers’ rights envisaged in the PPV&FR Act 2001 like access to seeds, benefit sharing, compensation, reasonable seed price, farmers recognition and reward for contributing to conservation, registration of farmers’ varieties, prior authorization for the commercialization of essentially derived varieties, exemption from registration fees for farmers and farmers protection from innocent infringement. The details of application form for the plant genome savior farmer award/recognition and application for registration of farmers’ variety under protection of plant variety and farmers’ rights act 2001 were also described by Shri Dubey. The other areas covered were importance of DUS testing, procedure for submitting seeds of indigenous crop varieties etc. The presentation was followed by interaction with the KVKs where a number of issues were clarified by ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata and Shri Dubey.
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