How to maximising the benefits of Indian Farmers arising from multiple protection of a plant variety

1. Doubling Farmers Income: Facilitation and
Enforcement of IP Rights over Plant Variety
S.K. Soam
Joint Director (I/c)
ICAR- NAARM, Hyderabad- 500 030
soam@naarm.org.in
sudhir.soam@icar.gov.in

2. Defining Belongingness
NI Vavilov, 1934 (Ownership globally?)
• Primary center of origin- Wheat & Barley in
Central Asia cultivated by ancient farmers.
Orange/ Eggplant/ Ragi
• Secondary center of origin. But Rye (Secale
cereal-PC is Asia Minor-Iran, Near East) found in
wild alongwith with wheat and barley in Central
Asia. Jaffa orange
• Chickpea- India & Meditarenean (PC)-Asia Minor
(SC)
• 11 centers of origin [I-VIII & VIIIa-c]
• Modern practices [Soybean- China to US/ Guava-
Mexico to India]
• Amla and curry leaf

3. How Ownership Moves?
Indian Not Indian
Rice Wheat (Central Asia), Maize (Mexico)
Mango, Orange Custard apple (US), Guava (Mexico),
Pine apple (Brazil)
Chickpea, Pigeonpea, most pulses Soybean (China), Lentil (Asia minor-
Near East)
Tree Cotton Cotton (Central Asia)
Brinjal (egg plant) Potato (Chile/Peru), Chili (Mexico)
Jasmine Rose (Near Eastern)
Arku Coffee? Coffee (Abyssinian)
Coconut/ Cocoa in Eluru Cocoa (Andes, South America)
Quinoa? (Chenopodium quinoa) Peru/Bolivia, Pre Columbian
civilization- replaced by cereals on
Spanish arrival

4. Rights on What?
Keen Observations
Abbr. Method/Procedure Parameter
MG Measurement by single observation of group
of plants or parts of plant
Canopy, abundance
MS Measurement of number of individual plants
or parts of plants
Leaf blade length, Fruit
length-width ratio
VG Visual observation of group of plants or parts
of plant
Branches attitude: Erect,
Spreading, Drooping
VS Visual observation of number of individual
plants or parts of plants
Anthocyanin in young
leaves- +/-
Fruit longitudinal
grooves- +/-

5. Variation
Photo source: PPVFRA

7. Farmers Rights under PPVFRA
• USA
– Monsanto VS Mc Farling case- 1998, Round up
ready soybean/ tech agreement
• India Exclusive rights
– Variety developed by a farmer
– Variety in common knowledge
– Use, Re-use and Sale of seeds
– Breeders limited rights
– Relaxations under the Act
– Compensation
• National gene fund

8. ACTION
In addition to PPVFRA

9. Biological Diversity Act: BMC-
Herbarium- PBRs

10. Geographical Indications-
Community ownership
• What is GI?
• Who can register?
• How it help in famers income?
– Katarni rice by Patanjali?
– Alphonso mango [Ratnagiri/Raigad/Konkan]
– Mulshi Ambemohar rice
– Mangalwedha Maldandi jowar
– Lasalgaon onion/ Sangali raisin/Purandar fig
– Any sugarcane area with high content?

11. Trademark vs Plant Variety
Sarthak doodh/ Ponni rice
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Year-1 Year-20
Value
Time
Value of Plant Variety and Trademark over Time
Plant Variety Trademark

12. Plant variety in India or Plant
patent in USA
Farmers Market
Plant Patent Act
1930/amended 1998
• Honeycrisp- US-1980s
• Scifresh-NZ-2003
• Fronteras strawberry-
US- 2015
• Less stringent- non-
obviousness?
• Plant patent+ Utility
patent
• Benefits/ Rights?
• PPVFRA laterPhoto by SK Soam, Pike Market, Seattle, USA