India’s agri-seed sector accounts for the largest share of receipts under benefit sharing regulations during April-Sept | India News
NEW DELHI: India’s agri-seed sector accounted for the largest share of receipts from users of the country’s biological resources during April-Sept period this financial year under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulation — a statutory mechanism which ensures that when local genetic resources create commercial value, a fair share flows back to states and communities to sustain that diversity.Though the amount of little over Rs 7 crore for the sector during that six-month period is not much, the receipts, at least, reflect working of the ABS mechanism in generating money by getting payment for utilisation of a diverse range of biological resources across agriculture sector.The other sectors that generate receipts include food, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medicinal plants, microorganisms and livestock. A total of around Rs 9.6 crore was received by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) towards access to biological resources from users in various sectors during the period.Contributions were received by the NBA from both domestic and international entities, including companies from Sri Lanka, Germany, France, the Republic of Korea and Bhutan.Union environment ministry’s records show that the NBA has realised around Rs 278 crore through ABS and disbursed more than Rs 200 crore towards biodiversity conservation and benefits for communities, farmers, institutions and other benefit claimers across the country since 2008. The Authority, a statutory body under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, regulates access to India’s biological resources and associated knowledge and implements the Nagoya Protocol’s (a global convention) principle of fair and equitable sharing of benefits.Biological resources, used by different entities for developing seeds, include livestock genetic resources such as Mithun, Jersey cattle and frozen semen of Murrah buffalo, as well as Red Sanders wood sourced from cultivated sources and auctioned material. The range further includes agricultural crops such as chickpea, red lentil, green moong, horse gram, flaxseed, guar gum, tapioca, buckwheat, brown rice, cauliflower, okra, hot pepper, brinjal and ridge gourd.The biological resources also include medicinal plants such as Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Kalmegh, Vasaka, Licorice, Arjuna, Bacopa, Gotukola and Moringa, as well as soil microorganisms including Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Rhizobium, Trichoderma and Metarhizium.The ABS mechanism goes beyond monetary collection by linking the utilisation of biological resources with biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits.“Funds disbursed through the State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils support conservation of biological resources, preparation and updation of People’s Biodiversity Registers, strengthening of Biodiversity Management Committees, biodiversity research and documentation, and benefits to local communities and other benefit claimers,” said the Union environment ministry on working of the mechanism and utilisation of the collected money.ABS-funded activities can complement relevant govt schemes and programmes, particularly those promoting tribal welfare, sustainable livelihoods and natural-resource-based enterprises, such as the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission and Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana.“Such convergence can strengthen community-led conservation, sustainable utilisation of biological resources and livelihood opportunities, while leveraging existing institutional mechanisms,” said the ministry in a statement.India’s ABS framework supports Target 13 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as well as Target 19 on resource mobilisation. The framework also contributes to relevant Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), through biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource use, livelihood support and institutional collaboration.
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“As India prepares to participate in the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), commencing on 19 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia, its ABS framework demonstrates the country’s continued commitment to biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of biological resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation,” said the ministry.
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