New Delhi: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated the first Global Symposium on Farmers Rights (GSFR) at the ICAR Convention Centre, in New Delhi. During the ceremony, President Murmu presented several awards to Indian farmers, including the ‘Plant Genome Saviour Communities’ Award (6), ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Reward’ (16), and ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Recognition’ (4). These awards are established under the provisions of the PPVFR (Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights) Act, 2001, by the PPVFR Authority. The event also saw the inauguration of the new ‘Plant Authority Bhawan,’ the PPVFR Authority’s office, and an online plant variety ‘Registration Portal.’ The Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, MoS Kailash Chaudhury, Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
In her address, President Murmu commended the FAO and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for choosing India to host the GSFR due to its rich agricultural, cultural, and ethnic diversity. She emphasised the role of farmers in providing the foundation for modern crop breeding programs, ensuring food and nutritional security for both humans and livestock, while taking care of the development and conservation of landraces, wild-relatives and traditional varieties of crops. President Murmu stressed the importance of recognising farmers’ rights and protecting their future calling them primary food producers (‘annadatta’).
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar welcomed the president of India and expressed his delight that the GSFR, an initiative proposed by the Government of India during the Ninth Session of the FAO’s International Treaty, was organised successfully by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) in collaboration with PPVFR Authority. He highlighted the critical need for agricultural biodiversity conservation for the survival of ecosystems and the deep connection between nature and culture through the cultivation of diverse plant varieties by Indian farmers.
Secretary, DA&FW, Manoj Ahuja, shared that India was the first country to incorporate Farmers’ Rights into Plant Variety Registration through the PPVFR Act, 2001. The Chairperson of the PPVFR Authority, Dr. T. Mohapatra, discussed the origin and goals of the GSFR.
The GSFR, hosted by India from September 12 to 15, welcomed over 700 delegates from 59 countries, including National Focal Points of the International Treaty, global farmer organisations, policymakers, scientists, industry representatives, and civil society. This first of its kind symposium aims to facilitate the implementation of Farmers’ Rights under the Treaty and promote the recognition of farmers as guardians of agrobiodiversity and global food security.
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