NBA Releases ₹8.22 Cr for Rice Research, Biodiversity Conservation
Funds shared with research institutions and 33 State and UT biodiversity bodies after commercial use of Indian rice varieties
- ₹8.22 crore released under access and benefit-sharing mechanism
- ₹2.47 crore allocated to institutions that conserved and shared rice varieties
- ₹5.75 crore distributed among 33 State and UT biodiversity bodies
- Uttar Pradesh receives highest state allocation of over ₹73 lakh
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd Aug: The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹8.22 crore to three research institutions and 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils, marking one of India’s largest single access and benefit-sharing (ABS) disbursements linked to rice.
The funds were received from M/s Pioneer Overseas Corporation, an international seed company that used Indian rice (Oryza sativa) varieties to develop and commercialise hybrids.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the disbursement is aimed at ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the commercial utilisation of India’s biological resources.
Of the total amount, ₹2.47 crore has been released to research institutions that conserved and provided the rice varieties used by the company.
The ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, received the largest institutional share of ₹2.43 crore, while Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand, received ₹3.26 lakh for the specific rice variety it contributed.
₹5.75 Crore for Rice-Growing States, UTs
Another ₹5.75 crore has been distributed among 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils. The allocations were calculated on the basis of the rice-growing area in each State and UT as recorded on the Agriculture Ministry’s Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics.
Uttar Pradesh received the highest allocation at ₹73.26 lakh, followed by West Bengal with ₹64.95 lakh and Telangana with ₹50.60 lakh.
Odisha received ₹48.09 lakh, Chhattisgarh ₹45.91 lakh, Punjab ₹37.15 lakh, Bihar ₹36.93 lakh, Madhya Pradesh ₹36.16 lakh, Assam ₹27.79 lakh and Andhra Pradesh ₹25.88 lakh.
Smaller rice-producing regions, including Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, were also provided proportionate allocations.
Funds to Support Conservation, Farmers
The research institutions will use the funds to strengthen germplasm conservation, maintain seed collections and support research and training activities.
State Biodiversity Boards and UT Biodiversity Councils will utilise their allocations for approved conservation programmes, including protection of native crop diversity, ecosystem restoration, documentation of traditional knowledge and support for local farmers and knowledge holders.
The NBA has so far received around ₹83 crore in ABS payments from the agriculture and seed sector. Its total benefit-sharing disbursements across all sectors have crossed ₹162 crore.
The initiative also contributes to Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which seeks fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
