{"id":53686,"date":"2025-07-07T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T04:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=53686"},"modified":"2025-07-07T11:17:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T05:47:20","slug":"india-opposes-amendments-to-plant-treaty-over-sovereignty-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-opposes-amendments-to-plant-treaty-over-sovereignty-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"India Opposes Amendments to Plant Treaty over Sovereignty Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Plant Treaty Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Union government and farmers&#8217; groups have raised concerns over proposed amendments to the International Plant Treaty, warning that they may dilute farmers&#8217; rights and undermine India&#8217;s sovereignty over its plant genetic resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>India Stands Against Proposed Amendments to the Plant Treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As global negotiations on plant genetic resources unfold in Peru, India has voiced serious objections to proposed amendments to the <\/span><b>International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (commonly known as the <\/span><b>Plant Treaty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concerns stem from fears that the amendments would undermine India\u2019s seed sovereignty and the rights of its farmers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>About the Plant Treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA is a legally binding global agreement adopted in 2001 under the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/food-and-agriculture-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Food and Agriculture Organisation<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (FAO) of the United Nations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The treaty aims to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Conserve<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> plant genetic resources (PGRFA).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Promote sustainable use<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of these resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure <\/span><b>fair and equitable sharing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of benefits arising from their use, especially in research and development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India ratified the treaty in 2002.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>About the Recent Negotiations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 10th session of the Governing Body of the Plant Treaty is being held in Peru from July 7 to 11, 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group is considering amendments to <\/span><b>Annex I<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the treaty to expand the coverage of the Multilateral System (MLS) to <\/span><b>all Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This proposed expansion implies that India and other countries would be obligated to share <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of their plant germplasm under standard international agreements, potentially overriding national terms and conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Core of the Concern: Sovereignty and Farmers\u2019 Rights<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian farmers\u2019 organisations such as <\/span><b>Bharath Beej Swaraj Manch<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have publicly opposed these amendments. They argue that:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Annexe I\u2019s expansion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would bring all plant genetic material, without exception, under international access frameworks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This move contradicts the treaty\u2019s original mandate, which only facilitated access to a limited list of crops critical for food security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s <\/span><b>sovereign rights over seeds and plant varieties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would be compromised.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Farmers\u2019 rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to save, use, exchange, and sell seeds would be diluted under a globally determined material transfer system.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Institutional Response and Representation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has stated that <\/span><b>national interest will be safeguarded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s official representative at the Peru negotiations is <\/span><b>Sunil Archak<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Principal Scientist at ICAR\u2019s National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and also the <\/span><b>Co-Chairperson<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the ongoing working group.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ICAR emphasised that Mr. Archak\u2019s visit was approved and timely, and he is considered highly capable of defending India\u2019s concerns during the negotiations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>States\u2019 Role and Constitutional Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala Government has emphasised that agriculture is a <\/span><b>State subject<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under Schedule VII of the Indian Constitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State Government criticised the lack of consultation with State Governments and farmers\u2019 groups, warning that the amendments could also sideline <\/span><b>State Biodiversity Boards<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and their regulatory role over local genetic resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such unilateral shifts in treaty obligations, without broader domestic deliberation, risk undermining India\u2019s federal structure in agricultural policymaking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Broader Implications for India&#8217;s Agricultural Policy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposal to include all PGRFA in the MLS system could:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impact India\u2019s capacity to <\/span><b>regulate access to indigenous germplasm<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduce incentives for <\/span><b>local innovation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in seed conservation and development.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facilitate <\/span><b>foreign entities\u2019 access<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to India\u2019s rich genetic heritage without proportionate benefit-sharing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposed Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), if universally applied, would mean India cannot tailor access rules based on the type or origin of the germplasm, which may have long-term implications for India\u2019s <\/span><b>bioprospecting potential<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>intellectual property frameworks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/farmers-policymakers-warn-centre-against-proposed-amendments-to-plant-treaty\/article69780823.ece#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Centre%20should%20consult%20farmers,sovereignty%20of%20India%20as%20well.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India raises strong objections to proposed amendments in the Plant Treaty, citing threats to seed sovereignty and national interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":53698,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,1372,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-53686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-plant-treaty","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}