The revised draft Seeds Bill 2019, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare placed in the public domain recently for suggestions and comments, seems to be a watered down version of a draft prepared about nine years ago by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Among other things, …
ISLAMABAD: The involvement of a huge annual business of agriculture seeds valuing Rs40 to Rs60 billion is a key hurdle to passage of the Plant Breeders Rights Bill, which has been stuck in parliament for the last more than 10 years. In the absence of this law that safeguards intellectual …
Creativity and innovation are important factors for sustainable agricultural growth. Intellectual property right (IPR) is the key driver of innovation. However, many argue against this view, as it would benefit only a certain section in a country. The present study analyses the perception of stakeholders on Indian IPR system for …
Nagpur: The statement by CD Mayee, a member of state government's technical committee on genetically modified (GM) crops, in a seminar in the city on Monday that the field trials be restarted has evoked sharp reaction from those against genetic engineering. The anti-GM group says the crops are not suitable …
Emphasising that monopolies over seed technology were unacceptable, a top official in the Agriculture Ministry told The Hindu that it would have a wider consultation with seed companies, seed technology companies and farmers before introducing a new policy for technology agreements between seed technology companies and private seed companies. On …
ASUNCION – About 100 farmers with peasant organizations on Tuesday left their family farms in Paraguay’s interior to attend a fair in downtown Asuncion, where they displayed their native seeds, the basis for their resistance against the advance of genetically modified crops, or GMOs. The seeds of Paraguayan staples such …
When DuPont and Dow Chemical agreed to merge in December, the $130 billion deal seemed to be a prime example of American managers’ ruthless pursuit of shareholder value and dedication to building monopoly positions. The two chemicals firms, with a combined 300-odd years under their belts, had both been beaten …
Inception of agriculture has witnessed the pivotal role of women in perceiving how seeds sprouted and grew into plants. Since the birth of farming, women have been the backbone of the agricultural work force. Today, they represent 43% of the global agricultural labour force. There has been 24% increase in …
For millennia, seeds have been freely available to use for farming and plant breeding without restriction. Within the past century, however, intellectual property rights (IPRs) have threatened this tradition. In response, a movement has emerged to counter the trend toward increasing consolidation of control and ownership of plant germplasm. One …
The Ministry of Agriculture on Monday vowed to beef up its supervision over genetically modified (GM) crops in order to protect human health, ecology and the environment. Agricultural authorities at all levels should strengthen the control of testing, production, processing, labeling and marketing of GM seeds and crops, according to …
Improving smallholder farmers' access to modern seed varieties is essential to tackle food security concerns An assessment of smallholder farmers' access to seeds says greater engagement from global seed companies would help boost yields and food security. The Access to Seeds Index said the large multinational companies' quality and range …
US seed giant Monsanto has threatened to pull its genetically modified crop technology from India if the government goes ahead with its plan to cut the company's royalty fees. Monsanto's joint venture firm in India said that it would be difficult to bring new technologies to India because it was …
Seeds of exotic plants illegally collected in the Himalayas are being sold in the UK, the BBC has found. National Himalayan authorities say no permission was obtained to gather and export the plant material. The activity harms the environment and deprives local people of benefits from the trade of plants, …
Countries where agriculture is a major economic activity have greater room for improving key regulations that govern the agribusiness sector, a new World Bank report finds. In contrast, countries where agriculture accounts for less than 25 percent of GDP have better regulatory systems that foster agribusiness and ensure quality control …
TORONTO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Africa's small farmers, more than half of whom buy their seeds from local informal markets, need access to improved seeds that can yield more food and cope with climate change, according to research published on Wednesday. Innovations in food science, including seeds that produce vitamin-rich …
Carbon storage is widely acknowledged as one of the most valuable forest ecosystem services. Deforestation, logging, fragmentation, fire, and climate change have significant effects on tropical carbon stocks; however, an elusive and yet undetected decrease in carbon storage may be due to defaunation of large seed dispersers. Many large tropical …
The government of Liberia, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development Food and Enterprise Development program (USAID FED) has launched the Liberia seed, fertilizer and pesticide regulation and the standardized curricula for extension. The two newly launched programs will provide for the regulation of quality seeds, fertilizer …
As a source of livelihood, agriculture (including forestry and fishing) remains the largest sector of Indian Economy. While its output share fell from 28.3% in 1993-94 to 14.4% in 2011-12, employment share declined from 64.8% to 48.9% over the same period. Therefore, almost half of the workforce in India still …
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Subsidy for Drought, 08/12/2015. The Union Government had announced a relief package of Rs.300 crore to provide diesel and seed Subsidy among others in order to save standing Kharif crops affected due to drought and deficit rainfall.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has approached the division bench of the Hyderabad High Court with an appeal for vacation of the stay granted by a single judge on the GO issued by it with regard to fixing Rs 50 as royalty per packet of Bt cotton seeds. On November 12 …
Seeds without borders: Using and sharing plant genetic diversity to adapt to climate change in Africa 11 African countries gathered last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to implement seed sharing and use for climate change adaptation, food security and poverty alleviation. No single country has all the genetic resources it …
