PASIGHAT, 28 Feb: A training-cum-awareness programme on ‘Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPV&FRA)’ was organised on 27 February at the College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF) here in East Siang district.
The programme was financially supported by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority.
Addressing the participants, CHF Dean Prof Lobsang Wangbhu emphasised the critical importance of safeguarding farmers’ rights and encouraging registration of indigenous and local crop varieties.
Chief organising secretary Prof Prankanu Debnath elaborated the objectives and significance of the programme, highlighting its relevance to farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders in strengthening varietal protection and intellectual property rights.
CHF Professor A Herojit Singh underscored the need to protect “farmers’ varieties” and explained how PPV&FRA plays a pivotal role in ensuring recognition and benefit-sharing for farming communities.
PPV&FRA New Delhi Deputy Registrar Dr Atul Chandra Sharma and AICRN-PC principal scientist Dr SK Yadav delivered lectures on the importance of conserving farmers’ varieties, the procedures for variety registration, and the current status of varietal improvement initiatives in India, with special reference to the Northeastern hill region.
FB&TI Department Head Dr Tisu Tayeng delivered an informative lecture on biodiversity protection and its vast scope, which was followed by and interactive session with farmers.
Dr Bikram Singh shared valuable insights into tribal forest management practices and the documentation of indigenous technical knowledge for intellectual property rights protection.
The programme was attended by local MLA Tapir Darang, who interacted with the farmers and stressed the urgent need for conservation, protection, and formal registration of local and traditional crop varieties. He encouraged farmers to actively participate in such awareness initiatives to secure their rights and enhance livelihood opportunities.
The technical sessions covered conservation of native horticultural crops, biodiversity protection strategies, and genetic resource documentation. The event also featured prize distribution, stall visits, and distribution of quality agricultural inputs to participating farmers.
More than 200 farmers from Upper Siang, Siang, East Siang, and Lower Dibang Valley districts, as well as from Dhemaji district of Assam participated in the programme, along with faculty members, students, and researchers of the CHF.
The programme concluded with distribution of agricultural inputs.
