Time to leverage intellectual property to drive innovation and competitiveness for Viksit Bharat: Seed industry

NEW DELHI: A robust Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) environment is crucial for India's seed sector as the country strives to achieve the " Viksit Bharat " tag by 2047, according to industry experts who participated at a national conference titled "Innovate, Protect, Prosper: Role of Intellectual Property Protection in taking India's Seed Sector to the Next Level."

The conference, organised by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), debated the opportunities and challenges in effectively leveraging intellectual property to drive innovation and competitiveness in the seed and biotechnology sectors in the country.

The experts highlighted the need for a robust IPR environment and effective enforcement to sustain the remarkable transformation achieved in the agriculture sector.

Some of the key challenges identified by the experts included: strengthening mechanisms for IP protection and enforcement, facilitating technology transfer and licensing agreements, navigating complex regulatory frameworks, and building capacity and awareness among stakeholders.

Dr Raj S Paroda, founder chairman, Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) said, "Enabling environment for IPR protection is critical for accelerating new innovations and technologies needed for faster growth of agriculture. When innovators are confident of protection of their rights, they get incentivized to do better and come forward to invest and innovate."

Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare, Government of India, highlighted the international best practices in IPR for seed and agricultural biotechnology.

"India takes a progressive approach towards PVP learning from global best practices in IPR for the seed and agricultural biotechnology while taking cognizance of the rights of the farmers as custodians of traditional varieties as well as the need for benefit sharing. Successful IPR regimes strike a balance between promoting innovation and ensuring access to technologies," he said emphasising the importance of IP learning for the Indian seed industry.

Ajai Rana, chairman, FSII and managing director & CEO, Savannah Seeds, said, “There is a need for a multi-faceted and collaborative approach towards building an effective policy and regulatory framework around IPR particularly in the seed industry. This involves legal reforms, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and international cooperation to promote innovation to find solutions to our most pressing problems.”

"FSII strives to contribute to the growth and sustainability of India's agricultural innovation ecosystem by raising awareness in IPR, promoting collaboration, showcasing innovations, and empowering stakeholders," he said.