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Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister inaugurates the 9th Session of Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” published in PIB on 19th September 2022.
What is the News?
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has inaugurated the Ninth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in New Delhi.
What is the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)?
Note: This is a legally binding treaty.
About Ninth Session of the Governing Body of ITPGRFA
Hosted by: New Delhi
Theme: “Celebrating the Guardians of Crop Diversity: Towards an Inclusive Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”.
– The theme aims to highlight the contribution of the world’s small farmers to the effective management of PGRFA and provide an opportunity to consider how the treaty and its community can contribute to the new global biodiversity architecture.
The major issues to be deliberated during the meeting comprise (i) Amendment of the Treaty to expand the list of crops in the multilateral system; (ii) Capacity-development strategy for the Treaty; (iii) Funding strategy, resource mobilization and the budget; (iv) Conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA and agriculture among others.
What are the key highlights from the minister’s address at the session?
No negotiation is possible at the cost of food security. All international forums must not forget that food is an essential fundamental right.
Article 9 of ITPGFRA specially deals with farmers’ rights and India is fully compliant with it and relevant provisions are enshrined in The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001.
