Defend Farmers’ Rights, Protect Genetic Resources, Scientists Tell Government Ahead of Lima Meet

• Ahead of the 11th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in Lima, Peru (November 24–29, 2025) , a group of Indian scientists has urged the government to take a strong stance to protect India’s farmers’ rights and national sovereignty over genetic resources .

Concerns Over Proposed Treaty Amendments

• The scientists have voiced serious concerns over proposed changes to the benefit-sharing mechanism under the Treaty. They argue that these “enhancements” could open India’s national seed and genetic collections to unrestricted global access without fair financial compensation. Such a move, they warn, would undermine India’s control over its agricultural biodiversity and jeopardize the interests of farmers who have preserved crop varieties for generations.

India’s Genetic Wealth at Stake

• India is one of the world’s largest holders of agricultural biodiversity , with millions of seed samples vital for global food security. Under the existing system, around seven million genetic accessions have been shared internationally, yet India has received minimal benefit due to the voluntary nature of the current sharing model . Scientists emphasize that commercial seed and biotech companies have profited immensely from these resources without returning equitable benefits.

Call for a Mandatory Benefit-Sharing Model

• Leading experts — including Dinesh Abrol, Sarath Babu Balijepalli, and Suman Sahai — have demanded a mandatory subscription-based benefit-sharing system linked to the commercial turnover of companies using genetic materials. They stress that any unrestricted access beyond the current list of 64 crops would violate the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 , and weaken India’s sovereignty over its genetic wealth.

Exam Pointers

• Treaty: International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

• Meeting: 11th Governing Body Session, Lima, Peru (Nov 24–29, 2025)

• Issue: Proposed amendments to benefit-sharing mechanism

• India’s stance: Demand for mandatory, legally binding benefit-sharing

• Law referenced: Biological Diversity Act, 2002