Awareness-cum-Exhibition Programme on PPV&FRA Strengthens Farmers’ Rights and Biodiversity Conservation in West Bengal

17 March 2026, Kalyani

Reinforcing its commitment to empowering farmers through legal awareness and promoting agrobiodiversity, an Awareness-cum-Exhibition Programme on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 was successfully organized at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra Nadia (Additional), Eastern Regional Station (ERS) of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Kalyani.

The programme aimed to sensitize farmers and stakeholders on the provisions of PPV&FRA, 2001, promote registration of indigenous varieties, and underscore the critical importance of conserving agricultural biodiversity.

Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, Dr Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-ATARI Kolkata, highlighted the transformative role of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 in safeguarding farmers’ rights, preventing bio-piracy, and fostering innovation in plant breeding. He emphasized that indigenous landraces constitute invaluable genetic resources and are pivotal to ensuring long-term food and nutritional security.

Emphasis was placed on strengthening farmers’ awareness of legal safeguards to protect traditional crop varieties, along with a comprehensive overview of the Act, detailing its objectives and procedures for registering farmers’ varieties. Technical publications in Bengali and English were also released for wider dissemination among participants.

A major highlight of the programme was the exhibition showcasing over 200 indigenous varieties of agricultural and horticultural crops, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables. Stalls set up by State organizations, Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), private enterprises, and progressive farmers created a vibrant platform for knowledge exchange and awareness on plant variety protection and biodiversity conservation.

Technical sessions by experts from Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya and ATMA, Nadia provided valuable insights into the current status of farmers’ variety registration and national recognitions in West Bengal. The sessions also highlighted benefits, procedures, and emerging opportunities for registration, particularly in horticultural crops.

To enhance participant engagement, interactive capacity-building activities including quiz competitions and group interactions were organized, fostering experiential learning and reinforcing key agricultural concepts.

The programme concluded with a valedictory session and prize distribution ceremony, where winners of quiz competitions and best exhibition stalls were recognized. Twenty-five farmers were honoured with the Indigenous Varieties Conservation Award for their outstanding contributions to preserving traditional crop diversity. Certificates of participation were distributed to all attendees.

The event witnessed the participation of around 200 stakeholders, including farmers, extension personnel, students, private sector representatives, and national awardee farmers from nine blocks of Nadia district.

Through its participatory and multi-stakeholder approach, the programme effectively strengthened awareness on PPV&FRA, 2001 and inspired farmers to recognize, conserve, and register indigenous crop varieties contributing to biodiversity conservation and reinforcing farmers’ rights in alignment with sustainable agricultural development.

(Source: Nadia, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, KVK, Kalyani)